Nao's Story
by NinjasAteMyFrog
Summary: One half of a story about two sisters and their lives. Ryusuke x OC
1. Track 001

_Hi there, it's FrogsAteMyGuitar here. My buddy and I are starting coexisting BECK stories on this here account. Now, just a quick overview of original characters. Nao Yamakawa (Main), Haru Yamakawa (the main character in the before mentioned coexisting story and they are sisters.) Substance (Nao's boyfriend's band): Hayato Horigoshi (Vocals), Kaz Sasaki (Rhythm Guitar), Utamura Okuda (the Lead Guitarist and her boyfriend), Thoki Sasaki (Kaz's little brother and the Bassist), and Omeza Akihiko (Drums)._

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Nao yawned sleepily blinking her eyes as her head turned to the clock.

"Oh shit!" She yelled bolting up. She grabbed her pants and clumsily hopped to the door trying to put them on and fell flat on her face. 'Nice one', she thought to herself pushing herself off the ground.

"Nao... what in God's name are you doing?" Haru asked as she peered into her younger sister's room.

"Getting ready. I'm gonna be late for Uta's show." Nao answered slowly getting up rubbing her face.

"Do you have a concussion?" Haru asked looking quite worried.

"I don't think so." She said rubbing her forehead. Her sister looked at her with even more worry. "I'm fine, really."

"Okay then. Have fun at Utamura's show." Haru said quietly, making a face as she turned towards the staircase. Nao shrugged and went back to hurriedly getting ready.

As she rushed out the door Haru threw an apple in her direction which she caught and took a bite out of.

"Thanks!" Nao called as she closed the door. She sped walked down the street and managed to get to the club about 5 minutes before Uta went on. She rushed inside and tried to act like she had been there the whole time and wasn't out of breath.

"Yo, Nao, what took you?" She heard a familiar voice ask.

"What do you mean? I've been here the whole time and no, I totally didn't wake up 15 minutes ago." She said laughing awkwardly. Uta chuckled and wrapped his arms around her, giving her a kiss.

"I don't care how close you cut it, as long as you're here." He kissed her once more. "I gotta get my ass on stage though." She laughed.

"Okie doke, I'll be in the front." Nao beamed and waved accidentally hitting someone on the head. "Oh god! I'm SO sorry!" She gently pat the guy's head as he glared at her. She smiled sheepishly and slowly stepped towards the front of the room. She made a face and leaned her arms on the gate that blocked the audience members from running onto the stage. She sighed as she watched Uta getting his guitar volumes right. Then Hayato walked to the front of the stage.

"Hey guys! What's up?!" Everyone screamed and clapped as a response. "We are... SUBSTANCE!" The first song called Slick Surprises started and Nao sang along. She loved watching Uta play. It made her happy. Although, it was a bit annoying how territorial he was with his guitar, he barely even let her touch it, so she watched Uta play a lot but it still made her happy. She never really understood why Haru had such huge issues with him but then again, she was pretty protective of her little sister and she never really like anyone. Buuut, still, Haru seemed to like Uta a lot less then she did most people.

"Wow you guys, that was great!" Nao said happily as she walked up to Uta and his band.

"Thanks babe, we try." He smiled and put an arm around her, pulling her close. She beamed up at him.

"Do you wanna stick around and watch some more bands?" Nao asked hopefully.

"Nah, the rest of the bands here suck." Uta replied with a bit of a cocky smile.

"Yeah." Kaz agreed.

She frowned."Well, The Musicmen are awesome."

"Eh, they're nothing but posers." Uta said with a shrug. Her frown increased in size and she sighed.

"Okay, wanna go to Remedy then?"

"Nah, that chump Minami is always there." He said crossing his arms as the Musicmen got on the stage.

"I don't really get why you hate him so much, he's not THAT bad." Nao said scratching the back of her head.

"You know what he did, plus he's a cocky fuck, that's why." He replied glaring at the thought of him.

"Okay then, touchy." She said quietly, making a face.

"It's true, why do you think Serial Mama's having so many problems? Because he's such a dickhead." He said looking like he was about to punch something. Nao studied her boyfriend for a bit and nodded slowly.

"Alright then, where do you wanna go?"

"How about Cavalry?" Thoki suggested a different bar that was a bit further away. Then the Musicmen started playing. Nao smiled watching Taira their bassist play, he was absolutely amazing. She dreamed to play an instrument that well. Music had always been a passion of hers, but the minute she began learning something, drama would strike and throw her off.

"Yeah, sure, anywhere but in this shit dive." Uta motioned for her and his band to follow him. She pouted watching the stage longingly as they all walked to the door and left.

When they got to the bar, the whole band squeezed into a booth and since there was no more room, Nao sat down on a bar stool close by to the table. She stirred her drink and watch the ice cubes spin around in the glass.

"I don't believe it!" She heard Uta say, so she turn around to see him glaring at the door. Standing there was Ryusuke Minami, who she actually thought was pretty cute but she thought she had no chance with him, unless you count one drunken round of spin the bottle at Eiji's birthday party last year. Haru had been Eiji's girlfriend for going on three years now, so Nao always ended up hanging out with Serial Mama and consequently, Ryusuke. Nao enjoyed hanging out with him but since that night at Eiji's, Uta hated Ryusuke and pretty much forbid Nao to spend any time with him.

Ryusuke groaned at the sight of him and took a seat at the booth closest to the door since Uta was in the very last. Uta stood and started walking towards Ryusuke.

"Uta, please don't start anything." Nao said grabbing his coat sleeve, looking up at him with a pleading face. He rolled his eyes and tugged away.

"Yo Minami! I hear Serial Mama's going down fast, too bad, always nice to have more bands around that make us look better."

"Well it definitely wouldn't be to make you sound better." He said propping his elbows on the table.

"You think just because you beat me in that stupid guitar contest that you can say you're a better guitarist then me?" Uta asked fuming.

"Never said I was better... You just suck a little more than me."

Uta paused, balling his hands into fists."Serial Mama has only together for what? A year? Substance has been together for 4 fucking years and your shitty little band gets all the attention because of your rocker image and long hair. Now, you tell me, who's better?"

"Did you ever think that you never got any attention because your band sucks?" Ryusuke asked casually.

"You're a giant prick you know that right?" He replied glaring at Ryusuke.

"Takes one to know one I guess." Ryusuke shrugged and Uta swung at him. He ducked out of the way and got out of the booth and was about to throw a punch back at him but Nao ran over.

"UTA! What the fuck?! You don't go around trying to punch people!" She yelled incredulously. Uta was about to reply but was interrupted.

"HEY! You three! Outta my bar!" The bartender ran over and shooed them all out.

"Are you okay Ryusuke-kun?" Nao asked as she stepped out.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Mr. Tough Guy over here can't aim." Ryusuke replied with a smirk as he looked at Uta.

"Shut up fuckhead." Uta growled.

"Behave." Nao said sternly as she pointed at Uta.

"Yeah, behave." Ryusuke repeated teasingly.

Uta opened his mouth to speak, but Nao spoke first. "You too." She wagged her finger at Ryusuke.

He chuckled. "Alright, later."

"Bye." Nao said with a sigh and then turned to Uta. "What the hell was that?"

"I'm sorry, alright? He just knows how to get me pissed." He replied as they started walking towards his apartment.

"That's no excuse, you don't just punch people." Nao protested.

"His stupid bands always get all the attention from the label producers, the girls, fans, everyone! He doesn't even have to work for it! I remember when Serial Mama started, their second show there were more people than our shows ever pulled! I don't fucking get it. We actually had to resort to opening FOR THEM! We should be famous by now, not opening for a no name piece of shit!... He's such an arrogant bastard!" Uta ranted completely ignoring her.

"You just want to be in a band to be famous?" She asked raising an eyebrow.

"Not only that, but it's nice to get a little acknowledgement." He grumbled.

"Well, I think your band is awesome." She said trying to give him a reassuring smile.

"Duh, of course you do. Our band is one of the best around, people just don't know what music is. They're all caught up in the image of the young pop-rock band. We're the only ones that play real music." He glared menacingly at the side walk as they waited for the light. To be perfectly honest, she'd heard this speech about 1000 times in the 2 years her and Uta had been together and it was starting to get on her nerves. He never talked about how to get better or how fun it was playing in a band, it was always about how he never got recognition for his 'amazing' guitar playing. She sighed.

"Have you ever thought of trying a different style or trying to make your band even better?" His eyes slowly lifted to hers and a furious look fell onto his face. "Not that you need to." She added on quickly.

"Nao, you have to understand, that everyone is going mainstream and pretending to be 'hip'. We're the only band that's stuck to our roots. That's why all those posers don't like us."

"No, I know, but bands do change and evolve through the years and that's what makes it exciting... to see a band grow." She pointed out a bit hesitantly.

"Why don't you get it? They're not growing they're just trying to be cool!" Uta replied raising his volume.

"Okay, I'm sorry."

"Okay, fine." He replied with a slight roll of his eyes. They walked the rest of the way in silence.

"Bye." She said giving a small wave.

"Later." Uta said without looking at her and shut the apartment building front door.

"What's wrong?" Haru asked without even looking up as Nao came in to the house.

"How did you-"

"Your footsteps sound like you're sad." Nao stared at her with a look of disbelief.

"Uhhh... well... Uta saw Ryusuke-kun and tried to punch him and when we were walking home he went off about how his band never gets acknowledged and how Ryusuke's bands are always so much more popular." She sighed. "Same old, same old."

"Why am I not shocked and surprised?" Haru asked looking up at her sister with her big green whimsical eyes. Nao smiled.

"Yeah... I mean, it's not like he's a bad guy, he just can't control anger well." Haru nodded.

"Eiji can be like that, but I don't know about Utamura..." She looked off into the distance for a bit and then a smile sprung onto her face. "Want some dinner?"

"Sure." Nao smiled back and walked to the table. "Have you ever actually liked any of my boyfriends?"

"I liked Shuzo." She replied.

"Shuzo wasn't my boyfriend." Nao replied with her eyebrows raised.

"Exactly."


	2. Track 002

"Hello?" Uta's voice asked over the phone.

"Hey, listen, I'm sorry about yesterday." Nao said apologetically.

"Whatever... it's fine." He replied still sounding a bit angry.

She frowned, knowing he was still pissed. "I really am sorry... I didn't mean what I said."

"I said it was fine." He snapped back at her.

"Would it make you feel better if I took you out to get a bite to eat later?"

"I dunno, maybe." He answered still not sounding all too happy.

"Okay, well... should we meet up at about 7 and grab some Onigiri and hang out in the park?" She asked, scared that he wasn't going to forgive her.

He sighed. "Yeah sure... and so you know, I get that you were just trying to help. I can get pretty intense."

She laughed with relief. "I know... so, see you at 7?"

"At 7 and try not to be late like the last time."

She smiled meekly. "Yeah, sorry about that."

"It's fine, I'll just come by your house." Uta said with a chuckle.

"Okay, see you then."

"Later." He hung up the phone, Nao soon followed. She yawned at looked at the time. She had about 3 hours to spare, so she got up and went downstairs to watch some TV. As she was about to sit down with a bowl of potato chips, she heard the door open.

"Oh hey Haru." She said smiling at her sister. Her smile soon faded as she saw a worried look on her sister's face. "What's up?"

"Um, it's nothing." She said hurriedly and started up the stairs.

"What? Did you see something freaky or whatever?" Nao called up the stairs.

"I'm fine!" She yelled back and slammed the bathroom door. Nao was taken a back. Her sister was usually extremely timid and quiet. She knew something was wrong, now she just had to get it out of her.

"No door slamming!" Nao's father yelled angrily.

"Sorry." Haru's small voice came from the bathroom.

"It's fine, just don't do it again." He scolded her. Nao put down her chips on the coffee table in front of her and walked up the stairs.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"

"No... I'm fine." She replied sounding on the verge of tears.

Nao paused trying to figure out what could've happened. "...Did something happen with Eiji?"

"Nothing happened, everything's fine... Just-just leave me alone."

Nao raised her eyebrows. "Okay... you know where I am if you need me." She did what her sister had asked and went back downstairs.

About an hour later, Nao sat down at the dinner table and looked at Haru playing with her food. Haru had just confessed to her sister that she was pregnant. Nao wasn't sure what she should do, but she hid her worry from her sister and before Haru left to see Serial Mama, Nao gave her a few extra words of encouragement.

"Haru, Eiji loves you, he'll stay with you and if he doesn't, I'm gonna kick him and puncture his trachea."

Haru laughed meekly. "I would rather you didn't but thanks." She turned and walked out the door. Nao smiled at her and waved.

"Tell me what happens!"

"Okay." Haru replied, looking petrified.

Nao watched as her sister walked down the block. She turned down a side street and Nao went back inside. She closed the door and walked upstairs as calmly as she could. She shut the door to her room and started crying into her pillow. She wasn't quite sure exactly what made her cry, but she just felt overwhelmed by everything. She sobbed into her pillow until she heard the buzzer ring.

She sprang up. 'Oh shit! Uta!' She had completely forgotten that they were going to hang out. She grabbed a skirt that went to her knees, pulled on pantyhose, a tank top and then a sweater. She then rushed to the bathroom and splashed water gingerly on her face, careful not to wet the clothes she'd just put on.

"Nao, Utamura-kun's here!" She heard her mom's voice call.

"Thanks mom, I'll be right down!" Nao yelled back drying her face. She quickly brushed her hair and pulled it back into a ponytail. She then ran downstairs.

She smiled when she saw Uta despite feeling like she wanted to hide in her closet. "Hi, I just need my shoes."

"Alright." He returned the smile and leaned against the door frame. Nao located her shoes and put them on.

She stood back up and walked up to Uta. "Ready to go?" He nodded as a response.

"Don't stay out too late." Her mother called after her as she and Uta set out.

"I won't mom." She replied with a wave.

At the end of the block Nao took in a deep breath and put on a smile, hoping Uta won't notice the sadness in her eyes. "So, how's your day been so far?"

"Okay I guess. Omeza's still having problems with his parents and Thoki and Kaz keep fighting... but we're going to keep this up." He said looking at the ground with an expression of determination.

Nao nodded and put her arm around his midriff and he pulled her closer to his body.

"How was yours?"

She pushed back the urge to cry and smiled. "Pretty good. I watched that new show about the guy who falls in love with his friend's ex."

"How was it?" He asked curiously.

"It sucked."

Uta laughed. "Yeah, I figured." Nao tried to laugh with him but gave up because it sounded too fake.

After they had bought Onigiri, they found a spot in a park across from Uta's apartment building to eat. They sat in silence for quite a while, making small talk here and there.

"What's up with you tonight?" Uta asked after another silence.

Nao raised her eyebrows and glanced at Uta. "What do you mean?"

"You seem all mopey." He replied with a shrug. "Are you still upset that I snapped at you the other day?"

"No." She replied shaking her head.

"...I said I was sorry."

"It's not that at all." She smiled up at him. "Really, it's nothing."

"Well, I know something's wrong so spit it out." He said looking at her quizzically.

"It's nothing." She replied taking another bite of the rice ball in her left hand. Uta then reached over and tickled her ribs. She laughed and scooted away from him on the bench.

He scooted himself close to her again. "Come on, tell me." He said as he tickled her again.

"Stop it!" She said laughing. "I mean it!"

He continued. "Come on." He stopped after she still didn't tell him. He frowned. "Well, whatever it is... I know what can cheer you up." He kissed her on the neck and whispered into her ear. "Wanna go back to my place?... My parents aren't due back for another 2 hours."

She nuzzled his shoulder affectionately. "I'm sorry, I really don't feel in the mood."

"Come on, please?" He was going to kiss her neck again but she moved out of the way.

"I really don't feel like it." She said again.

He looked at her and frowned. "Why not?"

"Because I'm stressed out." She replied with a bit of a shrug.

He chuckled. "You're telling me."

"I'm serious, I'm just not in the mood."

His face grew serious. "Why are you being so bitchy today?"

She let her eyes drift to the ground. "Just..." She stopped herself, not really wanting to talk about it.

"Come on, what?"

She felt like she was about to start sobbing again but took a deep breath. "Haru's just going through some stuff and it's really stressful on her and I'm just worried about the whole situation."

"So? You can't have some fun because your sister's upset?"

"She's not just upset, I mean, her relationship with Eiji could end all because of a mistake." Nao said starting to feel frustrated.

"Why? She cheat on him or something?" He raised an eyebrow.

"No... she's pregnant with Eiji's baby." She looked at the ground with a sigh.

"Whoa, really?" He asked and she nodded. "We always use protection so you don't have to worry about getting pregnant." He pointed out after a pause.

"It's not about that Uta! I'm worried about my sister and I wanna be left alone and I don't wanna just go and have sex." Nao said angrily.

He scowled. "You think you have problems?"

"Please not this again..." She said quietly putting her head in her hands.

He ignored her. "You think it's easy making it as a musician? It's fucking ridiculous! I've been dealing with this for years and just one tiny little thing with your sister makes you depressed? You try dealing with this shit for this many years and then you'll know stress! You're so fucking selfish, all the time. I need to let loose some how!... I mean, would you rather me cheat on you?"

"What? No!" She replied looking up at him briefly.

"Okay, then come on." He said standing up.

"You're saying I have sex with you or you cheat on me?" Nao asked starting to get a headache.

"No, I'm just saying that you have an obligation as my girlfriend."

"Oh and you don't have an obligation to help your girlfriend feel better?" She asked massaging her temples.

"It'll make both of us feel better, now come the fuck on!" He demanded roughly.

Nao stood and picked up her bag and starting walking towards Remedy.

"Oh come on!... Don't be such a bitch!" Uta called after her.

After a relatively short walk, Nao reached Remedy. She sat on a bar stool and took a sip from her drink. Recently this had become pretty commonplace in her and Uta's relationship. They would get into a fight, one of them would storm off, and then the next day it was like nothing happened. Nao knew it wasn't healthy to just pretend like everything was fine, but she didn't really know what else to do. Uta was so caught up in his own life, whenever something went wrong for him it was a huge deal, then when something happened to Nao it wasn't nothing to him, at least that's how it felt to her. It wasn't always like that though, Uta used to very sweet, hell, he was a downright gentleman when they first started dating. I know, it's hard to believe, but it's true. I guess the more time that went on, the spark faded and Uta got more stressed. They had met in High School and now Uta had a full time job, college, and the band to deal with. That was Nao's excuse for his worsening treatment of her. It seemed like she was only there for him to vent to and cater to his every need, but she couldn't let go of who he used to be.

"Sup?" Nao was thrown from her thoughts as she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Oh, hey Ryusuke-kun." Nao said with a slight smile.

"Do you mind if I sit?" He asked as he gestured to the bar stool next to Nao.

"Oh of course." She nodded. "How is everything?"

"Eh… it could be worse." He answered as he sat down. "Yo Mitty, a gin and tonic?" He asked the bartender who nodded.

"Make it two?" Nao added in.

"Coming right up."

"You haven't even finished your first drink." Ryusuke chuckled.

"Second, and I know… I just need drunkenness right now." She said with a sigh.

He nodded. "Seems like we've both had a shitty day."

"That is an understatement." Nao said with a laugh. "Oh, how was the Serial Mama gig?"

"Uhh… define good." He replied chuckling.

"That bad, huh?"

"Pretty much." He let out a sigh and picked up the drink that was just placed in front of him. "Thanks, Mitty."

"No problem, you kids have fun." He walked away to the opposite side of the bar.

Ryusuke sighed again. "I don't know, I think this is the end of Serial Mama."

"Oh no, really?" Nao asked with a frown.

"I mean, it's not set in stone or anything, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist, you know?… it was a long time coming…" He explained and took another sip from his drink.

"It still sucks though." She pointed out and Ryusuke nodded.

A few moments of silence passed until Ryusuke spoke up. "So, we haven't sat and had a drink together in what, 3 months?"

Nao chuckled, "Yeah, sorry about that, Uta just doesn't want me to spend time with other guys."

"Jesus Christ, can you be more insecure?" Ryusuke laughed.

"Eh, I don't really think it's that, he just gets jealous easily." Nao said with a shrug.

"I think it's just 'cause he knows you're way out of his league." Ryusuke replied.

"Riiight, yeah, that has to be it." Nao said sarcastically.

"It's true, at least I think you are." Ryusuke said matter-of-factly.

"I have a feeling you'd think any girl was out of Uta's league." Nao chuckled and Ryusuke nodded with a shrug.

"Maybe."

The rest of the night went pretty well. Nao and Ryusuke got pretty drunk together and he walked her home. Luckily Nao's father wasn't home, so she was able to sneak her drunkenness under the radar. She got into her room and lay down, the emotional exhaustion seemed to hit her all at once. She rolled onto her side and let out a sigh as she closed her eyes.


	3. Track 003

Nao yawned and walked by the staircase, hearing her dad yelling. She made out 'You obey my rules'. Soon after Haru came up the stairs and brush passed her sister and slammed her bedroom door. Nao heard her sobbing and gently knocked on the door.

"Haru? What happened?" The crying stopped immediately and there was no answer. "Did dad get pissed because you stayed out all night?"

She paused and then replied. "Yeah, but it's fine."

"Are you sure?"

"It's fine." She answered Nao's question just loud enough for her to hear it.

"Okay." Nao said knowing that it wasn't but she didn't know what would help. So she walked away and read a book in her room.

About 2 hours later she heard a commotion in Haru's room and got up to see what was happening. She knocked on the door that read 'Haru' in Kanji characters.

"Hey, everything okay in there?" She slowly opened the door and saw Haru's room completely destroyed. Everything was on the floor and she was looking around her room picking things up and gripping her bangs as tears flooded down her face. She hyperventilated as Nao rushed over to her.

"HARU! Y-your bleeding!" Nao held her sister's bloody hands. She didn't even seem like she heard her. Nao rubbed her shoulder "Look at me, come on."

Haru looked up and then down at her hands.

"I-I just got a... little um, cut on..." She trailed off pointing at a picture of Nao and Haru smiling in a happier time with glass all over it.

"Come on, let's clean you up." Nao concealed her panic and led her into the bathroom.

"I'm not done cleaning yet." Haru stated in a dull voice.

"It's fine, I'll help you with it later." She sat Haru down on the closed toilet seat and searched for some tweezers.

"You ready?" Nao asked looking up at Haru's expressionless face. She nodded so Nao located a piece of glass and pulled it out. Haru didn't even flinch, so Nao continued to pull out the shards of glass until they were all gone. Nao then guided Haru's hands over the sink and cleaned them with some warm water and soap, then gently wrapped a paper towel around them and put a little bit of medical tape to hold it closed.

"HARU! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOUR ROOM?!" Their dad burst in and saw the scene in front of him. The floor had droplets of blood and in the sink were bloody pieces of glass. He stood there for a moment and then just closed the door, looking like he was about to throw up.

"Let's get you some rest. okay?" Nao asked smiling at Haru.

"But I have to clean my room." She replied flatly.

"it's fine, I'll take care of it." Nao smiled again and walked into her room, Haru following close behind. "Just lie down on my bed and listen to some music or something." Haru nodded glumly and lay back and stared at the ceiling.

Nao passed her dad in hallway who had a stern yet questioning face, she shrugged and then went into Haru's room and took a deep breath. 'Here we go.'

About a week later Nao found herself standing in front of Eiji's apartment door. She knocked again.

"Eiji, I know you're in there." Nao said through the door. Eiji had been completely ignoring Haru and yesterday her and Nao had told their parents about Haru's pregnancy which was a disaster and right now, Haru needed all the support she could get. Nao knew that Haru didn't want her to talk to Eiji, but she really needed him.

"What do you want?" His voice came through the closed door.

"Can I just come in and talk to you?" She asked with a hand placed on her hip, the other on the door frame. She heard no reply. "I won't beat you up or anything, Haru's just having a really difficult time."

He snickered. "I'm not afraid you'll beat me up, I just don't want to get involved."

"Well too fucking bad. You got involved the minute you decided to fuck my sister with out a condom." Nao tapped her foot rapidly on the ceramic title impatiently. Finally she heard the door unlock and saw Eiji standing in the door way. Nao walked past him and made herself comfortable on the sofa.

"No please, come in." He mumbled sarcastically and sat in a chair across from her. "What is it?"

"Haru and I told our parents about her pregnancy and it really didn't go well and she really needs support. She feels completely alone and she really needs you... she says you make everything better and if you're going to make it better, now would be the time." Nao explained watching Eiji's reaction intently, trying to read his face.

"Well, she should have thought of that before we had sex." He replied leaning back in the chair.

"And you should've too. Look, you BOTH made this baby so you BOTH have to take care of it when it's born. It's not fair that you can just ruin her life and then have a completely normal one yourself." She retaliated.

Eiji let out a sigh and looked down at the carpeted floor. "I get it, I just can't be tied down yet."

"Dude, Haru has so many fucking problems and you just don't wanna be tied down? How is she going to raise your child along with all her problems completely alone?" She looked at Eiji with an almost pleading look. "She loves you... do you have any idea how difficult that is for her? She doesn't trust anyone, she never allows herself to open up to another person, she makes sure everyone sees her as a normal happy person, except you. It's ripping her up inside and she's already blaming herself like crazy. She needs you."

"...Alright, alright... I'll call her after you leave."

Nao fought back a smile. "If I find out you didn't call, I will beat you up."

Later that day, Nao stood by the counter as she took a bite of the sandwich she'd just made herself. She grinned contently taking another bite. "What's in that?" Haru asked as she walked into the room.

"Uhhh... marshmallows, peanut butter, and tomato."

Haru looked a bit grossed out, but smiled. "Whatever floats your boat." She sat down at the table next to Nao and folded her arms on the table, gently placing her chin on top of them. "Did you talk to Eiji?"

Nao almost choked, but managed to swallow. "Why do you ask?"

"Well... he called me and I was just wondering if you had something to do with it."

"I might've... Don't worry, I didn't hurt him, I just explained everything with mom and dad and the stuff that's been going on. Anyway, I'm sure he would've called eventually, he just needed a little push." Haru's face saddened a bit and she let out a sigh. "What?"

"I was hoping he called because he genuinely felt like he still wanted to be with me." She looked at the table glumly and blew her bangs out of her face.

"You don't think he wants to be with you?" Nao asked frowning. Haru shook her and looked up at Nao. "Of course we wants to... your still the same person, pregnant or not."

"You think so?"

"Oh I hate using cliches, I know so."

Haru smiled and paused for a moment. "What do you think it'll be like?"

"Think what'll be like?"

"You know... being a mom?" She asked watching Nao take another bite of the sandwich.

"Well... it'll be different. I know you'll be a great mom though." Nao replied after swallowing what she had in her mouth.

"Really?"

"Yeah, definitely." Haru looked at her questioningly. "You've been very motherly to me my whole life. I mean, you still make me put on my jacket when it's cold."

Haru chuckled. "I wonder how Eiji will be as a dad."

"I don't wanna think about it." Nao joked and grinned at her sister. "I'm sure he'll grow into it."

"Yeah, let's hope." She returned the smile and let out another sigh. "I'm already so tired... How am I gonna survive the next 8 months?"

"Let me give you piggy back rides?" Nao suggested.

"Maybe." Haru yawned and tried to blink the tiredness out of her eyes. Nao licked her lips and wiped off her hands.

"C'mere." Haru raised an eyebrow. "Come on, I make you pretty." Haru laughed and scooted her chair over to her. Nao pulled all of Haru's hair onto the top of her head and ruffled it around until it was really messy she then let it fall. She frowned and tilted her head. She then balanced a wad of hair on the top of Haru's head and kissed the air. "Voila! Perfection!"

Haru made a scared face and gently felt her head. "What did you do to it?"

"Noooo! Don't touch it." Nao looked around for a mirror. "Here."

"Oh... wow... it's really... nice." Haru said with her eyebrows raised looking slightly concerned.

"Yeah, well, you have the best hairstylist in all of Japan." They both laughed.

"I'm going to go brush it out now."

"Why?" Nao asked with a hurt expression.

"Aww... I'm sorry, it's uncomfy." She pouted.

"It's fine, It's not the end of the world." Nao smiled. "I can brush it out for you."

"No, no, I'll manage."

The following days bled together until it had been two weeks. Uta was becoming more self-absorbed then ever and didn't thank Nao for any of the support she was giving him by going to all his shows. Eiji and Haru had started to talk everyday again, they hadn't really seen each other but it was at least a step in the right direction.

"Nao, let's go." Uta snapped at her as she lumbered up the stairs with Uta's guitar over her back and his other guitar things in a plastic bag she held in her arms. He'd just played his fourth show that week and insisted that his back was hurting too much to carry anything, so she had to lug everything for 13 blocks to his apartment.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." She replied leaning on the banister. She took a deep breath and went up the last flight of stairs and into Uta's house. She put his stuff down and lay back on the couch.

"My arms feel like jelly."

"Well too bad." He mumbled at her frowning. She rolled her eyes and rolled over, facing the back of the couch.

"Fuck. I forgot my stop box. Do you mind going back to get it?" He demanded more then asked.

"Are you serious? I just dragged all your shit like a mile." She rolled over and looked at him with exasperation.

"Come on! My back is killing me, you've been bitchy all day, I'm totally overwhelmed, every thing's falling apart around me and all you have to do is get a fuckin' stomp box." He stated angrily. She pushed herself up and shuffled back out the door.

After a half an hour or so she returned and threw the stomp box on the table and collapsed back onto the couch.

"Hey, watch it. That's expensive." Uta said from the kitchen. Nao lay on the couch for a bit and then sat up.

"No thank you?"

"Thank you for what?" He asked as he made himself a sandwich.

She raised an eyebrow. "For walking all the way back to the club to get your stomp box."

"Why should I thank you for that?" He asked coldly.

"'Cause, like, that's what people do." She replied.

He laughed. "You're so spoiled, you expect everyone to just bow down to you."

Nao fell silent and lay back down on the couch.

"Shit, I forgot to send an e-mail, finish making my sandwich." He walked into his bedroom. Nao glared at the coffee table and crossed her arms. A few minutes went by and then Uta came back. He looked down at his incomplete sandwich and frowned.

"What the fuck?"

"I don't feel like making a sandwich." Nao replied sitting up.

"You don't feel like it? I don't care if you feel like it or not. Why can't you make a sandwich, is it really THAT hard?" He asked fuming.

"I'm tired alright? I just walked all the way to the club and back for a second time."

"That's fuckin' bullshit. Couples are supposed to help each other, not treat each other like crap. You always treat everyone like crap. You're so self-centered!"

"All this because I didn't make you a sandwich? I'm not your mother!" She protested.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?! You're so stupid! You have me for a boyfriend, what more could you possibly want?!" He screamed back at you.

"You are such a narcissist." She replied shaking her head.

"And you're a cunt."

Nao looked at him in surprise. "There's a new one." She sat looking at the floor with a weary look. She then got up, grabbed her bag, and started out the door.

"Thousands of girls would kill to be my girlfriend!" He yelled after her. She ignored him and closed the door behind her feeling a knot in her stomach. She started back home with her eyes downcast in her own little world.


	4. Track 004

Nao stormed away from Uta's house after yet another fight. She glared at the ground as she walked towards home hurriedly. She was thrust back into reality as she walked straight into someone.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" She then recognized him. "Oh, uh, Ryusuke-kun... hi."

"Oh hey, Nao."

"Sorry I walked into you, I'm just a little stressed." She managed a small smile.

"It's fine, no need to apologize. I wasn't really paying attention either." He returned the smile. She strangely felt a little bit better. He raised an eyebrow as she watched him thoughtfully. She grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry, you just have a nice smile."

"So do you." He chuckled and a light blush ripened her cheeks. "Do you want me to walk you home?"

"Huh? Why?" She asked still not paying that much attention.

"You seem a little distracted, don't want you walking into a pole... or a car." She laughed.

"If it's not out of your way."

"I don't really have a way, I'm just sorta wandering around." He replied with a shrug.

"Well alright then, it's this way." She gestured to her left and he followed along side her. They didn't talk for about a block and then Nao broke the silence.

"So I heard about Serial Mama, I'm sorry."

His expression soured. "It's fine... it was going to happen eventually."

She nodded. "That's what Eiji said... I don't think he likes you very much." She grinned.

"Yeah, not really." Nao chuckled. "So are you going to start a new band?"

"Yep, just have to find people." He nodded.

"Who do you have your eye on?" Nao asked curiously.

"Well, Taira from Musicmen and Manabu from that band cloud are really the only two people I've got in mind at the moment." Ryusuke replied with a shrug.

"I love Taira's bass playing! And Manabu's… he's okay I guess." She said trying not to be rude. "I mean, I just don't really like his singing style."

"Neither do I to be honest, just Taira wants me to find a good singer before he joins." Ryusuke said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, well what about the Musicmen's singer, he's really good." She suggested.

"Apparently he's giving up music to go to college." Ryusuke made a face.

"Aw man, he was really good."

"Yeah, I know, but hey, making it as a musician's hard." Ryusuke said with a shrug. "It isn't a career for everyone, but it's worth it to me."

"That's refreshing." Nao said more to herself than to Ryusuke.

He smiled quizzically. "How so?"

"Nothing, just Uta's always bitching about how hard his life is and how he wants to be famous, it's nice to hear someone say they do it for the music, you know?" She answered.

"I get the feeling Utamura doesn't understand music. I mean, yes he can play guitar, but he doesn't play with an ounce of feeling. It seems like he doesn't get how deep and profound music can be." Ryuskuke responded thoughtfully.

Nao chuckled. "To be honest, I feel that way too. He looks at it like it's just another job he has to do."

"I'm not surprised, I kind of got that impression."

"Yeah, well, we're here." She said as they neared her house.

Ryusuke nodded. "It was nice talking to you, and I don't have your number." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his phone.

"I don't think Uta would want me to." Nao responded apologetically.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Well what he doesn't know won't hurt him." Nao looked at him with a bit of concern. "C'mon, it's just a phone number."

"I guess you're right." Nao said with a sigh and told him her number.

"Cool, I'll call you later so you'll have my number in your phone."

"Alright, sounds like a plan." Nao smiled as did Ryusuke. "Take care."

"Later." He waved and started down the block.

Nao smiled and watched him go a bit dreamily. She then shook her head and let out a sigh. 'Jeez Nao, get your head together.'

Later that day Nao was lying on her bed when the phone rang.

Sirkunne!" Kameko called her daughter with her Ainu name. "Telephone."

"Oh okay! Thanks mom!" Nao yelled back. She picked up the phone. "Yello?"

"You're such a bitch!" Uta's voice said forcefully.

"What the hell did I do?" She asked confusedly.

"You know what you did!"

"No I don't." She protested.

"You cheated on me with that bastard Ryusuke didn't you?!" Her jaw dropped in surprised. "DIDN'T YOU?!"

"No! Of course I didn't! Where'd you get a crazy idea like that?"

"Hayato saw you two walking together!"

"What?"

"That's right, he saw you, you cheating skank!" He practically screamed into the phone.

"All he did was walk me home! I was distracted after we had that fight so he just wanted to make sure I got home safe, that's it."

"You're the worst liar in the world! I CAN SEE RIGHT THROUGH YOU!"

"I'm not lying!"

"Ha! Yeah right! You cheated on me bitch! I should beat the shit outta you!"

"What?! B-but I didn't cheat on you." She replied feeling very shaken up, not knowing what to say.

"Yes you did, I know you did!"

"I-I didn't!" She started to feel like she was going to cry. She heard the receiver click and a dial tone follow. "Hello?" She asked meekly into the phone. She pressed the off button and gulped. She put the phone down and went out of her room. She then knocked on Haru's door.

She opened the door a crack and tilted her head to the side. "What's the matter?"

"Uta's the matter."

"What'd he do this time?" Haru asked stepping away from the door so Nao could come in.

"Well... earlier he and I got into a huge fight just because I didn't want to clean his room so I left and then I bumped into Ryusuke and he walked me home and just now Uta called me and said that I cheated on him with Ryusuke and said that he knew I did but I didn't and then he said he should just beat me up and I don't know what I'm supposed to do." Nao finished a bit panicked.

"Are you serious?" Haru asked, very concerned. "Was he serious?"

"Well, I don't think he's gonna beat me up if that's what you mean... he just scared the shit out of me." Nao bit her lower lip feeling her nose starting to tingle.

"I bet... I'd be barring up the doors if that happened to me."

"Yeah... do you think I should call him back or...?" Nao asked.

"I think you should let him cool down a bit." Haru replied still looking a bit freaked.

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea."

After two days of holding off, Nao decided to call Uta back and try to explain herself, hoping he'd be calmer.

"Hello?"

"Hey Uta..." Nao greeted quietly.

"What do you want?"

"I swear to GOD that I didn't cheat on you. All he did was walk me home, that's it, I promise." Nao insisted adamantly.

"Hayato saw you together!"

"So? What did he see us doing exactly?"

"Walking, but that's not the point! He lost sight of you, god knows what you did when you got to your house." He growled.

"There's nothing we could have done. Both my parents were home."

"So you say... Why should I believe you? You always lie."

"No I don't!... What can I do to make you trust me?" Nao asked crossing her legs on her bed.

He paused for a moment. "Run everything by me first."

"What do you mean?"

"Like, if you're going to do something, tell me first."

"Don't you think that's a little extreme?"

"Do you want me to trust you?"

Nao sighed and looked at the carpeted floor. "...Yes."

"Well then, we're agreed." He said a bit smugly.

"Uh-huh." Nao said rolling her eyes. "Bye." She hung up the phone and lay back on her bed. He had pulled that stunt too many times to count. Accusing her of something and then saying that she had to tell him everything that she did. It was just another way for him to be in control.

The next day the phone rang, making Nao jump. She looked at the caller ID and saw 'Minami, Ryusuke'. She let out a sigh of relief, very happy it wasn't Uta. She'd been a bit on edge since the day before.

"Yeeello?"

"Hey, it's Ryusuke."

"What's up?"

"Nothing much, sorry I forgot to call you the other day so your phone could get my number and stuff." He replied.

"Oh it's fine, I'm sure you had a lot on your mind that day." Nao chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess… so how is everything?"

"It's okay, just had another spat with Uta." Nao responded with a sigh.

"Damn, again? You two fight even more than I usually do with my girlfriends, and that's saying a lot."

Nao laughed. "Yeah, we're the world champs by this point."

"Heh, yeah… well wanna grab some coffee? Might cheer you up." Ryusuke suggested.

"Nah, don't wanna push it." She replied with a sigh. "I mean, just… the whole fight was because Hayato saw you and me walking together and Uta freaked out so I don't wanna make it worse."

"Jesus Christ." He chuckled. "I don't mean to laugh, but damn, that's insane."

"Yeah, tell me about it. He's been getting more and more controlling by the minute it seems." Nao explained looking down at the floor glumly.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but why don't you leave him? I mean, he sounds like a total asshole."

"He's not that bad, he's just going through a lot right now, you know? Plus being in a relationship isn't just about being there when things are easy, but also when things get hard." She responded as she ran her fingers through her hair. "Plus I just don't wanna be alone… Heh, the things you say to people you hardly know, right?"

"It's fine, I don't mind… it's obviously a hard situation, but a relationships a two way street, one person can't only be giving while the other only takes, you know?" Ryusuke said and waited for Nao to reply. "Sorry." He said after she didn't speak.

"No, you don't have to apologize, you're right… I just don't know."


	5. Track 005

"Wow, so… this is where you live, huh?" Nao asked as her and Ryusuke approached the run down shack. It had been about a month since Uta and Nao's fight about Ryusuke, and Ray had finally convinced her to get lunch with him and then they decided to spend the rest of the day at Ryusuke's house.

"Yep, it's drafty but other then that, it's pretty nice." He replied.

"Awesome. I think it's snazzy." She said smiling.

Ryusuke chuckled. "Thanks."

"No problem." Then came a familiar bark and Ryusuke's dog, Beck, came running from behind the house and practically knocked Nao over. "Aww, hi Beck, hi!" Nao said scratching his head as he licked her and wagged his tail.

"Wow." Ryusuke said with his head cocked to the side.

"What?" Nao asked as Beck nuzzled her knee.

"Nothing, it just usually takes Beck a long time until he likes people, so considering that he's only met you twice, I'm impressed."

"Well most dogs like me enough to hump my leg the first time I meet them, so." Nao said chuckling.

Ryusuke laughed and Nao rose to her feet with a smile.

Then they both went inside. They hung out for a while and then started playing video games and Nao beat Ryusuke in every one.

"Damn, how'd you get so good at these things?" Ryusuke asked with disbelief.

"Haru's obsessed with them." She replied smugly as she ate a potato chip.

"Yeah, Eiji told me that once… How is your sister these days?" He asked leaning against a bookshelf.

Nao let out a sigh. "She's okay I guess. She still has a lot of issues and her and Eiji are at a trying time in their relationship, so."

"That doesn't sound too fun."

She chuckled. "Yeah, not really… but I think that something good's gonna come out of it."

"Always the optimist." He said with a smile.

"YEP! Can't help it, it's in my blood." Nao returned the smile.

"I thought your dad was really strict." He said with a raised eyebrow.

"I have two parents for a reason." She grinned.

"Right, good point." Ryusuke stretched a bit and stood up. "Well, I guess it's time to bust out the ramen and soda." He said rubbing his stomach.

"YAY!" Nao said joyfully as Ryusuke walked to the kitchen. "What kind of soda do you have?"

"Uhh, Ramune." He replied taking out the soda and closing the fridge.

"Right on!" She said and lay back on Ryusuke's futon. "Goodness gracious! Your mattress is like heaven in a bed."

She heard him laugh. "Yeah, it's practically disintegrated."

"Eh, together mattresses are overrated."

"True, true." Ryusuke agreed as he came back with a pack of sodas. Nao rubbed her hands together excitedly and opened one of them.

"Is the ramen cooking?" She asked after taking a gulp.

"Yeah." He said taking a potato chip.

"Awesome… man, oh man how I love junk food. I'm a junk food junkie, seriously." Nao beamed happily. "Thank goodness for my fast metabolism… I mean, I'm not like tiny by anyone's standards but believe me, it could be soooo much worse considering what I eat on a daily basis."

Ryusuke chuckled. "You look fine to me." He said with a shrug.

"Aww thanks." She smiled and took another sip of Ramune.

"No problem." He replied with a slight yawn. "Sorry, I'm really tired today."

"Aw, why's that?" She asked with a slight pout.

"Another late band practice, that's all. We're trying to prepare for our first gig next week, so." He explained with a nod.

"You guys got a gig already? That's awesome!" She exclaimed with a grin. "I can't wait to hear you guys!"

"Well I can put you on the guest list if you want." Ryusuke offered.

"Oh cool... I have to talk to Uta about it first." She responded with a sigh.

"Are you serious?" Ryusuke asked with a raised eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because he's still mad that you walked me home so I have to ask him before I do anything."

"Damn… That's… wow." He said shaking his head.

"Yeah… thanks though, I'll get back to you later." Nao said with a half hearted smile.

"Alright... I think you should do what you wanna do but whatever." He said with a shrug and then got up to check the ramen.

Nao was taken aback, no one had ever really said that she should do what she wanted. She smiled to herself and took a sip of Ramune.

After spending a few more hours at Ryusuke's, Nao walked back home. She got out her keys as she stopped in front of the door and opened it.

"Wow, you're home late." Haru said from the couch as Nao walked through door.

Nao looked at the kitchen clock as she set down her bag. "Oh wow, 22:14 already? Yikes, I guess I lost track of time." She grinned sheepishly and walked to the sink to wash her hands.

"Who have you been hanging out with anyway?" Haru asked.

"One sec, can't hear ya." Nao called back and then turned of the water. "What?"

"You've been going out a lot lately so I just asked who you were hanging out with." Haru repeated her question.

"Um, Ryusuke." Haru made a face. "What?" Nao asked as she plopped down in the armchair next to the couch.

"It's just, Eiji said that Ryusuke takes advantage of girls and that he's really manipulative and doesn't care about anyone but himself." Haru said with a bit of concern in her voice.

"Really? He doesn't seem like that kind of guy." Nao replied frowning.

Haru nodded slowly. "Eiji said that he makes girls think that and pulls them along and then just tosses them aside when he gets what he wants from them."

"What? Like sex?" Nao asked with a raised eyebrow. "We're just friends and I'm still with Uta, remember?"

"Well yeah but… I don't know."

"Haru, of course Eiji had some shit to speak about Ryusuke, they had a huge falling out… I mean that's why Serial Mama's not together anymore." Nao pointed out.

"He told me some of that before Serial Mama broke up." Haru said looking sort of worried.

"Come on, they never liked each other."

Later on that night Nao sat on her bed looking down at her phone, preparing herself to call Uta. She located Uta's number and pressed 'talk'.

"Hello?"

"Hey Uta." She said into the speaker.

"Oh hi Nao... what's up?"

"Well, I was just wondering if I could go to a gig next week."

"Whose gig."

Nao chuckled sheepishly. "It's a BECK show."

"What? You mean Ryusuke's new band?"

"Well... yeah."

"Why would you pay to see that crap?" Uta asked angrily.

"Because, it's not crap. I don't understand why I can't like the music I like."

"I don't understand why you like it and no, you can't go."

"Why do you always have to be so controlling?"

"Oh shut up, you know it's for your own good." Nao glared at the floor and didn't reply. "Don't be such a baby."

"Whatever... bye." She hung up the phone and put it on her dresser.


	6. Track 006

"Oh hey, Nao, you made it." Ryusuke said to her left as she walked into the club.

She smiled at him and chuckled sheepishly. "Yeah."

"What? Did Utamura say you couldn't come?"

"Yeah actually, how'd you know?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Lucky guess." He replied with a shrug. "Do you want to meet my band?"

"Sure, why not?" He turned and lead her to a back room. He pushed opened the door for her and followed her inside.

"Guys, this is Nao." Ryusuke lazily introduced her to his bandmates. She smiled with a small wave.

"Hey, I'm Taira and this is Chiba and Togo." Taira said with a smile as he gestured to the other two.

"Yeah I know. You were absolutely amazing in The Musicmen." Nao said with a bit of a blush going across her face. "And I know Togo from Serial Mama and everyone around here knows Chiba."

Taira laughed. "Good point and thanks."

"No problem." She said grinning.

"You were right, Ryusuke, she is a hottie." Chiba said eying Nao, beaming.

Ryusuke shook his head and opened his mouth to say something but Nao spoke before him. "Why thank you. Your afro's pretty hot too."

Chiba let out his boisterous laugh. "Thanks! So, you're that Uta guy's girlfriend, huh?"

"Heh, yeah." She smiled and continued to talk to the members of Beck for about a half hour until they had to go on stage. It was weird, she felt like she'd known them for a long time because they were so welcoming. Usually it took her years to feel like that with anyone but they were really sweet. She got to the front of the small crowd and waited eagerly to hear Beck play. The lights dimmed and Chiba's voice boomed from the speakers.

"WHAT'S UUUUP?!" Everyone screamed and cheered. "This first song is called _Spice. Of. LIFE!_" The music started blasting and she was in awe. Ryusuke was even better then when he was in Serial Mama, he was at a whole new level. She felt energized and happy. She could really sense all of their passion. After about an half hour they had finished their set. Nao couldn't stop beaming as she jogged to the back room. She opened the door gleaming with happiness.

"I guess you liked it." Ryusuke said with a smile still sounding a bit breathless.

"Dude, yes! Awesomeness defined!" She replied as she sat down in a chair.

"Fuck yeah!" Chiba said with a huge grin.

It had been a few days since the show and Nao had been hanging out with Ryusuke and his friends quite often. She actually felt happy when she was with them. It wasn't like she always felt depressed with Uta but he could make it difficult to enjoy life sometimes. She'd never laughed as hard as she did or had so much fun as when she was with her new friends. At the moment, it was a weekend and Nao was lying on her bed reading a book when her cell rang. She lazily reached towards her cell phone and pressed 'talk'.

"Hello?"

"Hey."

"Hi Uta... what's up?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

"'Bout what?" She asked a bit coldly.

"You should be able to do what you want... I know I can be controlling."

"Yeah... well that's good 'cause I sorta went to the show anyway."

"How was it?" He asked after a pause.

"It was really good actually."

"Heh... well, you have a poor taste in music but a good taste in men."

"What? You mean Ryusuke?"

"No, I mean me... why'd you think I meant that asshole?"

"It's just that Ryusuke's in Beck... so... just the association." Nao replied nervously.

"Should I still being worried about you two?"

"No, I just didn't think before I spoke, that's all."

"Okay, fine." Uta replied, not hiding the suspicion in his voice well. She then heard a soft knock on her door.

"Hey Nao?" Haru's voice called through the door.

"Hold on a sec." Nao said into the speaker and then held it away from her mouth. "What?"

"Who are you talking to?" Haru asked.

"Uta, why?"

"Oh, um, nothing, I need to talk to you after." She replied.

"Alright, one minute." She held the speaker back to her mouth. "Sorry."

"Whatever, we don't have anything else to talk about." He growled back.

"Uta, nothing is, was, will ever be going on between us." She said genuinely. A tingling feeling came to her nose when he didn't reply. "Why don't you trust me?"

"Because you aren't trustworthy." He stated. Nao searched her mind for what to say but Uta spoke first. "I'll talk to you later."

"Are we okay?"

"Yeah. Bye." She heard the dial tone and let out a sigh.

"Smooth." She muttered to herself and pressed the off button. She pushed herself off her bed and opened her door to see Haru standing by the door frame nervously. "What's up?"

About 10 minutes later Nao furiously flipped open her phone and hit speed dial 3.

"What do you want now?" Uta's voice asked.

"You were at a strip club?!" She was about to continue but Uta interrupted.

"What, I'm a man." He replied with distain in his voice.

"Let me finish!" She yelled into the phone. "Kuri saw you making out with some random girl and she didn't stay around for long so who knows? You probably fucked her too!"

"I didn't fuck her, I played around with her a bit but it's because YOU haven't had sex with me in a month!" Uta yelled back.

"Do NOT turn this around on me! This is the seventh time you've done something like this!"

"You're actually keeping track? How pathetic can you get?" Uta laughed maliciously.

"You can't keep doing this to me! It's not only about you! The only time that you treat me well is when everything's going your way!" Nao said feeling tears well up in her eyes.

"Well if I'm so horrible, why don't you leave?" She glared angrily at the floor with her lower lip trembling. "I'll tell you why, because you know that no other guy would put up with such an ugly, overly emotional bitch as you." He said loudly.

Nao shook her head as the tears started down her face. "That's not true…"

"Yeah right! You have to keep your place."

"Keep my place?!" She screamed back. She was about to unleash on him but he spoke first.

"You're a nobody, don't act like you're important!" He said back just as loudly.

"Fuck you." Nao whispered angrily and hung up the phone. She wiped the tears from her eyes and fell back on her bed. She hugged her pillow and stared at the wall. 'How did I let it get this bad?' She asked herself. 'Why didn't I break up with him the first time this happened? Why the hell did I stay with him after the third, let along the fifth time?' She rolled on to her back and put her phone on the dresser. 'I should have left him a long time ago… I don't know if I can anymore.' She was pulled from her thoughts by a soft knock on her door.

"Hey Nao… how did it go?" Haru's voice asked.

"You can come in. It went fine." She replied forcing cheer into her voice.

"Really?" Haru asked opening the door and softly closing it behind her.

"Yeah, really. He said that it was true but they didn't do anything past what Kuri saw." Nao said sitting up with her legs hanging off the edge of the bed.

"And you believed him?" She asked sitting next to her younger sister. "I heard you yelling."

"Yeah… things got a bit heated, but it's all good. Don't worry about it." Nao said with a reassuring smile.

It had been about a week since Nao's conversation with Uta. She had talked to him once since but it was pretty short and neither of them mentioned their yelling match. Now they were just coming back from a Substance show.

"I think my guitar's really improving, I'm probably the best around." He said with a smug grin.

"Probably." Nao said a bit sarcastically as she carried a few of Uta's things up his apartment stairs. Uta opened the door to his house and walked inside, Nao following close behind him. She gently put his things down and closed the door, locking it as Uta walked into the back of the apartment towards his bedroom. Nao yawned and washed her hands in the kitchen sink. She then walked back towards the door and plopped down on the couch.

"Nao!" Uta called from his bedroom.

"Yeah?" She yelled back kicking off her shoes.

"C'mere!" Nao groaned and pushed herself up and shuffled to his bedroom door.

"I'm here."

"Let's have some fun." He said with a smirk. She turned and started back towards the living room. "Nao, come ON! You can't withhold sex from me this long. It's been two months!"

She turned and leaned on the door frame. "Look, our relationship has been a little rough lately, I just wanna try to get through it without sex." He raised an eyebrow with a bit of an angry look. "It just seems like every time we get into a fight or have a kink in our relationship it's sex that 'saves' us, not talking." She continued.

"Our relationship will be over if we don't have sex."

"What?" She asked a bit taken a back.

"I'm breaking up with you if you don't have sex with me." He repeated slowly in a bit of a condescending tone.

Nao crossed her arms and stared at the carpet. "Why do you always have to do this?" She asked after a few moments of silence.

"I'm just telling you what I need and if you don't do what I need, I don't have a use for you." He explained matter-of-factly.

"So there's basically no other reason we're together except for sex." Nao stated in an aggravated tone. "Great."

"Just have sex with me, is that sooo hard for you to do?" He asked sitting up on his bed.

"No it's just…" She trailed off.

"What?" He asked after a pause.

"Nothing…" Nao replied after a long exhale.

"So you'll have sex with me?" He asked.

"Is that all you care about?" She answered with another question, a bit angrily.

"Will you?"

"Fine." She said and walked over to the bed.

"Good, now was that too hard?" He asked as he took off his shirt. Nao didn't answer as she took off her clothes and sat on the bed. "Fine, don't say anything." Uta said with a cocky smile. He finished taking off his clothes as Nao lay down. He put on a condom and sat next to her. "Come on, it's no fun if you just lie there."

Nao sighed sitting up. She kissed Uta's lips and put on hand on his cock. She played with his manhood, still kissing his neck, then planting kisses down his chest to his stomach. When she reached his dick she kissed the tip and gently started sucking. Uta smirked as she bobbed her head up and down faster, moving her tongue around the head of his cock as she went. Uta then held the back of her head and pushed himself deep into her throat before Nao lay back and Uta climbed on top of her, pushing himself inside of her. A quiet moan escaped her lips as he went in and out of her. She kissed his lips and put her arms on the back of his neck. Uta broke the kiss as he pounded her harder. Nao started to become wet as he started to go faster. She reached her arms back and put them under her head letting another moan escape her lips. After a few more minutes her inner walls began to spasm as she was pushed back and forth with every thrust. She then found her release soon after. Uta kept pumping in and out of her until he came and rolled off her. After a few minutes of catching their breath, Uta took off the condom and started putting on his clothes.

"No cuddle or anything?" She asked frowning.

"Nah." He said leaving the room. She sighed and put her clothes back on. She walked over to the TV and turned it on taking the remote with her. She lay back down on the bed and snuggled up in the blankets.

After about an hour of watching TV Nao turned it off and walked into the living room.

"What'cha up to?" She asked seeing Uta on the computer.

"Nothing much." He mumbled.

"Do you want anything to eat?" Nao asked but he didn't reply. "Anything to drink?" Again he didn't answer. "Well aren't we in a talkative mood?" She asked sarcastically as she opened the fridge.

"Well aren't we in a bitchy mood?" He retaliated with a smug grin.

"Funny." She said as she got out some bread, tomatoes, lettuce, and mayo.

"Fuck! See you made me loose my concentration, now I have to start the whole fucking level over again." Uta said angrily.

"Sorry." She replied as she started making her sandwich.

"It doesn't sound like you mean it." He said glancing over at her.

"I'm sorry, I'm just really hungry." She stated.

"Man girls are weird." He said with a snicker.

"Yeah cause you're never grumpy." She muttered.

"You know what? I don't like your stuck up bitch attitude. Go clean something."

Nao threw the bread down and turned to Uta. "What the fuck is your problem?!"

This made him laugh. "Did I touch a nerve?"

"Stop making fun of me!" She yelled feeling like she was going to cry.

"Stop making fun of me, oh no you're gonna tell the teacher on me." He mocked. "What're you? Five?"

She glared at him from behind the counter and then walked to the couch and started putting on her shoes.

"Hey, before you have a hissy fit and storm out, clean up your mess like a good girl." Uta said from the computer.

"Can you not do anything?!" She yelled as she stood back up.

He turned around from the computer. "Clean. Up. Your. Mess." He said slowly as if he was talking to a young child.

"No." She said with her arms crossed.

"What do you mean 'No'?" Uta asked angrily.

"I mean no." She stated matter-of-factly.

"You're starting to piss me off." He said clicking something on the computer and getting up.

"I'm sure you can managed to put a few things away."

"Get your ass in the kitchen before I drag it there." He growled.

"You know what, fine, if it's such a huge deal to you." Nao said and walked over to the kitchen and put everything away. "There, are you happy now?"

"You don't take that tone with me! What the fuck's gotten into you?" He asked glaring at her.

"Look, I'm just really tired, can we not do this?" She asked after a pause. Uta didn't answer so she started walking back towards the door. Uta reached out his hand and grabbed her arm.

"I asked you a question."

"Ow, you're hurting me!" Nao said trying to pull her arm away.

"ANSWER THE FUCKING QUESTION!" He screamed in her face.

"...I-I'm sorry." She replied feeling quite shaken up.

He tightened his grip on her and looked her dead in the eyes with a look of fury. "Fuck off!" He let go and Nao quickly grabbed her bag and started down the stairs. The crisp air hit her face as she opened the door to the apartment building and let out the breath in her lungs. She stood there in mild shock for a few minutes until the adrenaline wore off and tears started down her face. After a few more moments of standing there she sniffled and wiped the tears away from her eyes and started home.

After a couple of weeks neither of them had mentioned what had happened, but it really damaged their relationship in Nao's eyes. Right now they were coming back from a Substance band practice that didn't go particularly well.

"I can't believe they fucking kicked me out!" Uta vented angrily as they walked to his apartment.

"Yeah." Nao replied. "That sucks."

"You don't understand! I've put years into this, YEARS and they kick me out! They just can't handle such an amazing guitarist. They're just too stupid to realize how great I am. I just can't fuckin' believe it! I practically made Substance, I'm the main pull in the band. I'm the guy all the girls have crushes on! What are they thinking kicking out their most valuable member?! I don't understand how someone can be so blind!" Uta stated loudly, storming down the block.

"Maybe they got tired of your attitude." Nao said under her breath.

"What?" He asked glaring at the ground.

"Nothing…"

The rest of the week was basically Uta talking about how horrible his life was and how Nao couldn't do anything. She was now at Ryusuke's house and had been there for about 3 hours.

"Did you see that new movie about that girl with telekinesis or something?" Ryusuke asked.

"Nah… I haven't really been to the movies in a while." She replied.

"Yeah, me neither. Chiba saw it last week, he said it was good."

"Cool…" Nao let out a sigh. "I'm sorry I'm not being such great company."

"It's fine." Ryusuke replied with a slight yawn. "Everyone has their off days."

"Yeah…" She agreed quietly.

He studied her face. "What is it?"

"Oh, it's nothing, well sorta... Uta and I have been having some issues… he's just been sort of difficult." Nao answered. "…I'm sorry, I just don't feel like entirely comfortable talking about my problems with people I don't know really well."

"You don't have to keep apologizing, I get it. Sucks about Utamura though." He said with a bit of a frown.

Nao nodded and took in a deep breath. "It's just like, he basically keeps telling me I'm a worthless nobody when I do anything he doesn't like and he keeps turning everything around on me when really it's HIS problem not mine."

"He actually said that you're a worthless nobody?" He asked in surprise.

"Pretty much." She replied glumly. "And it's like, well, um…." She trailed off with a bit of a chuckle. "Our 'alone time', or whatever always seems contrived… not really genuine or anything. It's like he only cares about the act it's self and not the emotional connection. Then he treats me like a fucking four year old and gets surprised that I'm upset. I mean, there's a ton of other problems that we have but those hurt me the most I guess."

"Man… that sucks." He said after a small pause.

"Yeah." Nao agreed. "Then there's all this stuff going on with my sister and my dad's really angry about it and it's just really stressful at home and when I'm with Uta so I sorta feel trapped where ever I go if that makes sense."

Ryusuke nodded. "Damn, you need a vacation."

She smiled. "Yeah, at least it's pretty laid back here. It's nice to feel like I can breath." She said with a small laugh.

"Yeah, well, you can hang out here anytime you want, I'm pretty much always home unless I have band practice or something."

"But I have your cell so that works out well." Nao added.

"Yep."

"Thanks." She said looking into his eyes, feeling an overwhelming urge to smile.

He smiled back. "No problem."


	7. Track 007

"DUDE! That was gold!" Nao said laughing hysterically.

"Fuck, I missed it. Totally not… yeah." Chiba said grinning as he took another gulp of beer.

Nao swayed and almost fell.

"Whoa, watch it." Ryusuke said reaching an arm out.

"I've never been so plastered." She said with a bit of a slur.

"I can't think of what to say right now." Ryusuke said lying back on Chiba's bed.

"I've never been to your house Chiba." Nao said with a grin. "It's so cosy."

"Fuck yeah!" He said giggling.

"I totally see why people are always singing while they're drunk. I feel like breaking into song!" She laughed and spun around almost falling again.

"You should probably stop drinking now." Taira said with a chuckle and a raised eyebrow.

She stopped spinning and frowned. "I fuckin' love you man." She said and broke into a fit of laughter. "I'm so tired."

Ryusuke held up his beer. "I second that."

"I'm going to…. wait… what was I gonna do?" Nao asked closing her eyes and chuckling. "Whoa, spinning room." She said when she opened them.

"Shit… my mom's gonna be home in like 20 minutes." Chiba said looking at the clock.

"Wha-oh." Nao said with a frown and a yawn.

"I don't care." He said as he started laughing again.

"What time does it say?… My vision's like WHOOOOAAA!"

Chiba laughed again. "Midnight…ish."

"Yuh-oh, my dad… is going to be soooo pissed." Nao swayed slightly but managed to steady herself.

"What time were you supposed to be home?" Taira asked taking a sip of beer.

"Taira?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you drunk?" Nao asked putting an emphasis on the 'K'.

"Not really, maybe a little tipsy." He replied.

"Sorry, what did you ask?"

He smiled. "What time were you supposed to be home?"

"My curfew's at like… I don't remember… earlier then I'm going to get my ass home." Nao said cheerfully.

"Yeah… I should probably get going too." Taira said putting down his beer. "I need to go to work in the morning."

"Oh no way, that totally suuuucks! I totally don't have a job right now. I really need one so I can save up money and stuff… it's good to do that." Nao said smiling at the wall.

"Yep, do you need someone to walk you home?" He asked as Nao braced herself on the wall.

"Okay… is it in your walking… like, is it on the way to your house?" She asked.

"It's only like a block out of my way but it's no problem."

"You're a sweet, you're sweet." She said beaming at him.

He chuckled. "Thanks." He put down his beer and put on his shoes. "Catch you guys later." He said to Chiba and Ryusuke.

"Uh-huh." Ryusuke said still lying down.

"G'night and sleep tigh." Chiba said waving with a grin.

"Hee, yeah." She said and started to the door.

"Nao, you forgot your shoes." Taira said shaking his head with a quiet laugh.

"Right." She said and started putting them on. "Opps… wrong foot."

"Night Taiiira." Nao said as Taira started back down the block after he dropped her off.

"Goodnight!" He called back and waved. She waved back and turned to the front door. She struggled to get the key in the door and finally managed to get the door open. She stepped in and locked the door behind her. She then turned to see her dad standing right next to her.

"WOW you move fast!" She said trying not to laugh.

"Where have you been?!" Atsushi asked angrily.

"I was just hanging out with people… lost track of time I guess." She said with a shrug.

"Naoko Yamakawa… are you drunk?" He asked looking livid.

"Noooo, are you?" She asked a smile curling on to her lips.

An expression of fury fell onto his face. "What the hell is wrong with you?! I didn't raise you to be a drunk!"

"I'm not A drunk, I'm just tipsy." She said with a snort of laughter.

"This behavior is inexcusable! You do not drink, EVER! That's how girls your age get raped, even killed! You ne- DON'T WALK AWAY FROM ME WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU!" He yelled as Nao started for the stairs.

"I'm a tired drunk." She said chuckling as her head nodded a bit.

"Atsushi, what's going on?" Kameko asked appearing at the top of the stairs rubbing her eyes.

"Our daughter is drunk, that's what's going on! Not to mention she's late for her curfew! This is all because of those rotten musicians you've been spending time with! Whatever happened to you spending time with Utamura?! He's a good kid, keeps his nose clean." He said glaring at Nao.

"Utamura is a dickwad! The people I've been spending, hanging out with are nice to me. Uta's mean to me." She replied looking at her dad's shirt.

"That's a load of bullshit!"

"And how the fuck would you know?" Nao asked.

"Watch your tongue!" He screamed at her.

"You watch your… tongue." She said her eyelids drooping. Atsushi glared at his daughter as she swayed but managed to balance by putting her hand on the wall. "You're never home, you don't know nothing, anything, so yeah… But you, you don't know anything about me. How could you possibly know who's nice and not? You're never here for any us of us."

Atsushi paused, livid with anger. "You are grounded until I decide that you've proven yourself worthy of my trust!"

"I'm not worthy of anything apparently, everyone says so… thanks for your support, 'DAD'." Nao said while turning to face the stairs. She clumsily made her way up and brushed passed her mom.

"Oh my gosh!" Kameko said running over to Nao as she face planted onto the floor.

"I'm alkay." Nao said.

"What?" Kameko asked as she helped Nao back to her feet.

"I'm alright… okay… somethin' like that." She said as her mom walked her to her bed.

"Just try to sleep it off, we'll talk in the morning." Kameko said not looking to happy as she took off Nao's shoes. Nao grunted as a response and rolled over on her bed.

It was now morning and Nao was lying in bed. She felt yet another silent tear fall down the bridge of her nose on to her pillow. Her dad had unleashed on her before going to work that morning. She felt horrible, not only from the hangover but also because her dad held a grudge. She was so anxious about the coming weeks and the constant reminder of what she did that was to come. She was also feeling like shit because she wasn't going to be able to see her friends until her dad thought she was 'worthy'. She hated him saying 'worthy', no one ever seemed to think she was worthy of anything.

"Nao, Haru's here for you!" Kameko called from downstairs.

"Oh shit!" Nao said to herself, completely forgetting that her and Haru were supposed to hang out that afternoon. Haru had moved in with Eiji the previous week and Haru didn't want to be there while Belle Ame was there so her and Nao had planned to get together. Nao wiped the tears off her face and ran downstairs.

"Your not ready to go?" Haru asked looking at her still in her pajamas.

"I can't go." Nao said glumly. "I'm sorry, I completely forgot to call you."

"What are you talking about, of course you can go." Kameko said with a small smile. Nao looked at her with surprise. "You aren't a bad kid, you made a mistake, there's no reason why you can't spend time with your sister… she'll take good care of you."

A smile curled on to Nao's face. "Thanks mom." She gave her a hug and ran back upstairs to get ready.

"What happened?" Haru asked her mom with a puzzled expression.

"Nao came home drunk and as you can imagine, your father was infuriated. They started arguing and Nao walked away from him and this morning he was livid. He actually made Nao cry." She said with a saddened expression.

"Wow!" Haru said with wide eyes knowing that Nao almost never cried in front of other people.

"Yes… I just hope that he doesn't end up taking it too far."

"Alright, I'm ready to go! Thank you mom, so so so much!" Nao said happily kissing her mom on the cheek.

"Okay, behave." She said pointing a finger at her youngest daughter.

"I will… I'm so sorry." Nao said with a sigh.

"I know sweetie."

Haru and Nao wandered around a bit before deciding on going to Ryusuke's.

"I can't believe you actually talked me into meeting the guys in Beck." Haru said shaking her head. "Especially after what happened last night."

"Haru, you can't understand how awesome they are until you experience them first hand." Nao said skipping along side her sister. Haru groaned with a nervous expression as they reached Ryusuke's house.

"Hey guys!" Nao said walking in beaming.

"What's got you in such a great mood?" Ryusuke asked chuckling at the sight of her.

"I introduce to you, madam Haruko Yamakawa." Nao said slightly bowing revealing a bewildered Haru standing in the doorway.

"… Hi." She said with an awkward wave.

"Oh hey Haru." Ryusuke said.

"Hi." She said again with a sheepish smile.

"You're Nao's sister, right?" Chiba asked eying her. She nodded. "AWESOME! I'm Chiba and that's Taira!" He gave her a huge grin, she forced a smile looking absolutely terrified.

"Hey." Taira said with a nod in her direction.

After a few moments of extremely awkward silence Nao spoke up. "Okay, so, what were you guys doing before we barged in?"

"Nothing in particular." Ryusuke said with a shrug.

"Awesome." Nao said sitting down, gesturing for Haru to sit down next to her.

"Oh… right." She said sitting next to Nao and began staring at the floor. Haru didn't speak for the next half hour or so while everyone was talking.

"You alright there?" Taira asked seeing Haru starting to go pale.

"Where's the bathroom, I think I'm going to be sick." She whispered to Nao.

"Awww, it's right over there." Nao whispered back pointing at it. "Do you need a hair holder?"

She shook her head 'no' and stood. "Um… excuse me." She said quietly and then started towards the bathroom.

Everyone watched her go with a bit of concern.

"She's pregnant, right?" Chiba asked slightly above a whisper, leaning over to you.

"Yeah, you can tell?" Nao asked.

"Yeeep, either she's preggo or she has a beer belly." He replied with a grin.

"Hmmm… I guess your right." Nao said not really noticing the change. She saw Haru practically daily so it never seemed like a huge difference. "She's also really nervous around new people, so don't take it personally. She's like the sweetest girl you'll meet when you get past her nerves."

"Ah, it's cool, no rush." Chiba said with a grin. After a few more minutes Haru came out of the bathroom. Everyone looked up and she froze in her tracks.

"You feeling better?" Taira asked.

"Yeah." She squeaked.

"We don't bite you know." Chiba said smiling.

"Oh, I know." She replied just loud enough for people to hear her.

"It was a joke." Chiba said with a chuckle.

"Oh… sorry."

"You don't have to apologize, no sweat." Chiba said stretching, she nodded and started to look like she was gong to cry.

"C'mon, let's get some air." Nao said getting up. "We shall be back." She ushered Haru outside and they both walked over to the side of the house. "You okay?"

"Can we just go? Please?" Haru begged.

Nao frowned. "Okay… if you really want to."

"Aww, no, I don't wanna make you upset." She said pouting.

"Haru, it's fine, really… I mean, you can understand how it's a little disappointing that you never get to see how cool my friends are, but if you're not comfortable, then I'd rather go." Nao replied with a comforting smile.

"No, it's okay, we can stay." She said meekly.

"It's fine, it's not a big deal." Nao said persistently.

"I'll stay, it's fine." Haru said starting back towards the house.

"Haru, you're doing that thing again." Nao said crossing her arms.

"I know, I'm sorry, It's just like, I don't know, I mean I don't want to let you down or whatever and we're supposed to be hanging out and It's just, I mean, they seem nice enough, but when I see people I don't know I just freeze and I don't know what to do and-"

"Haru, I know, I know, It's really okay… breathe." Nao said as Haru held her breath out of nerves. "We can go get something to eat we don't have to stay here."

"Thanks." Haru said with a slight smile.

"It's absolutely no problem." Nao said smiling back at her.

"You can stay out here if you want, I'll grab our stuff." Haru nodded vigorously as a response. Nao smiled again and walked back inside the house.

"What's up?" Ryusuke asked.

"We're gonna take off." Nao replied gathering her and her sister's things.

"Okay." Chiba said pouting. "Sorry I scared her." He said making a face.

Nao laughed. "You didn't really scare her, socializing just isn't a strong point of hers."

"I have to go too actually." Taira said glancing at the clock.

"Oh c'mon, you're gonna leave me with this prick?!" Chiba asked loudly and Taira chuckled.

"Uh-oh, someone's getting grumpy." Ryusuke said back to Chiba. "You need a nap?"

"Oh fuck you." Chiba said shoving Ryusuke.

"Aye!" Nao said pointing at them both. "Bad!"

Chiba whimpered and sniffled.

"Awwww, you're just too cute, I can't stay mad at you for too long." Nao said chuckling. "Alright, well, that's everything, I'm gonna take off. I don't know when I'll get to see you guys again 'cause I got my ass grounded."

"Booze?" Chiba asked.

"Booze." She said with a nod.

"AWW!" Chiba said opening his arms for a hug. She laughed and hugged him.

"Catch you later." Nao said going out the door.

"Later." Everyone said in unison making them all laugh.

"Okay, so when's band practice today?" Taira asked standing up.

Nao located her sister staring at the pond.

"Haru, do you mind if Taira walks with us?" She asked as she gave Haru her shoes and bag.

"Which one's Taira?" Haru asked.

"The guy with the very blond hair." Nao said putting on her shoes.

"Oh, okay… where are we going exactly?" She asked.

"I dunno, we can find a restaurant in which ever direction Taira's going." Nao said with a shrug.

"Are you sure it's okay to leave?" Haru asked frowning as she finished putting on her shoes. Nao raised her eyebrows at her. "Sorry! I know, I can't help it."

"It's okay that you can't help it and it's okay to leave." She said with a smile.

Then Taira came out of the house. "Bye guys."

"Later." They heard Ryusuke say from inside.

"Which way are you going?" Nao asked walking up to him.

"That'a way." He answered pointing to the right.

"Awesome! C'mon Haru." Nao said looking back at her.

"Okay." She said quietly and followed them to the sidewalk.

They walked in silence for about a block until Taira broke the silence.

"So, do you like music?"

"Oh, yeah." Haru replied.

"Cool, I do too." He said with a smile. Haru nodded slowly and looked back at the ground. "What do you like?"

"Um… Nightwish… Evanescence, things like that." Haru answered.

"Awesome, I like Happy Mondays, New Order, Joy Division, that kind of stuff." Taira replied with a smile.

"Oh that techno-ie music?" Haru asked with a raised eyebrow.

Taira chuckled. "Yeah, no one ever really likes the same music I do." Nao put on a hurt expression. "Okay, except Nao."

"Yay!" Nao said smiling. "You both like Robert Louis Stevenson though."

"You like his books?" Haru said perking up a bit.

"No, I love them." Taira said with a nod.

"Oh how I adore the classics." Haru said finally smiling.

"Well then he's your man. He's THE classic author." He said with a chuckle.

"Also a genius… his descriptions are so vivid! I can't put any of his books down once I start reading." Haru said starting to sound cheery. "It's amazing, it just…"

"Seems like a new book every time." Taira said finishing her sentence.

"I know, right?"

Nao laughed. "The book nerds finally unite!"

It was now two days later and Nao was bored. She hadn't been allowed to go out or do pretty much anything so she was lying on her bed staring at the celling.

"Sirkunne! You have a visitor!" Nao's mom called up the stairs.

"Oh… Okay!" She hopped off her bed and went down the stairs. She stopped dead in her tracks as she saw her old friend. "Yuka-Chan... it's been so long."

"Yeah." Yuka replied with a small smile.

"What's up?" Nao asked still in a bit of shock to see her. Uta had originally been dating Yuka when they had both been 14. Then Yuka and Uta broke up and Uta started to date Nao who was Yuka's best friend. Yuka seemed to think that Nao stole Uta from her and punched her in the face… not exactly a great way to end a friendship.

"Nothing much... can we go up to your room? I kinda need to talk to you." She said with her eyes nervously glancing at the floor.

"Um... okay... are you alright?"

"I'm fine." She gave another small smile. Nao turned and started upstairs, Yuka following close behind. Nao sat on her bed and patted the empty space next to her.

"So… how's Uta?" Yuka asked breaking the awkward silence that started after she had sat down.

"Is that what this is about? You want him back or something?" Nao asked crossing her arms. Yuka didn't reply and hung her head, looking at the floor. "What is it?" Nao asked hesitantly.

"Uh... about 2 months ago... Uta called me and said that you two broke up and that he wanted me back... then yesterday he let out that you were acting bitchy and I said 'I thought you two were broken up' and he shrugged and said that he lied." Nao stared at her with a blank expression. "I'm so sorry."

"You came here to tell me that you're fucking my boyfriend and to rub it in my face?!" Nao asked fighting back tears.

"No, no, not at all... I just didn't think this would be something to tell you over the phone... I'm sorry."

"I-I can't believe it... what... how... it didn't occur to you to call and fucking ask me if we were still together?!"

"I just believed him." She replied quietly, her eyes downcast. Yuka looked up when Nao didn't reply. "A-Are you okay?"

"Okay? OKAY?! You tell me my boyfriend's been fucking you for two months and you ask if I'm okay?! First you punch me over nothing and then you steal MY boyfriend?!" Nao stood up and opened the door for her to leave.

"Nao-Chan... I'm so-"

"I DON'T CARE!"


	8. Track 008

Nao angrily rung the buzzer to Uta's apartment and stood with her arms crossed, glaring at the front door.

"Who is it?"

"Nao."

She heard the door buzz so she pushed open the door and ran up the stairs. Uta opened the apartment door and put on his usual haughty smile which faded as he saw Nao's tear stained face.

"What?"

"You cheated on me that's what." She almost whispered furiously. Uta rolled his eyes and leaned on the door frame.

"That Yuka girl means nothing to me she's just better in bed, that's all."

"That's all? Are you fucking kidding me?! This is like the millionth time you've done something like this! I'm breaking up with you, fuck off and get out of my life." Nao said and turned to walk away but Uta grabbed her arm.

"Don't be like that. It's not a big deal. We can't just throw out our relationship over something so fuckin' stupid."

"Oh believe me, it's not the only thing. Our relationship is soooo far gone absolutely nothing can keep us together... I can't believe I loved you." She said absolutely livid as she stared him dead in the eyes.

He chuckled. "You're really gonna break up with me? I'm the best boyfriend any girl could ask for."

"You're an arrogant, self-centered, egotistical dick wad... I think I'll do okay with out you." She turned and stormed down the stairs.

"You'll regret it!" He called after her.

She ignored him, opened the apartment building door and exited.

She wandered around for a while and then sat on a bench. She held her face in her hands and then called Haru and told her about the situation. After she got off the phone with her she let out a sigh and looked at her phone. She then dialed Ryusuke's number and waited for him to answer.

"Hello?" Ryusuke's voice asked.

"Hey, can I come over?" She asked glumly.

"Yeah sure, what's up?"

"It's nothing… I'll tell you when I get there I guess." She replied with a sigh.

"Alright, see you soon."

"Yeah…" She hung up the phone and stood up from the bench and started walking to Ryusuke's house. When she arrived she walked to the sliding door and opened it.

"Hey." Ryusuke greeted from the kitchen. "I'm just making some ramen, you want any?"

"Nah, I'm not really hungry." She said sitting down on the floor to take off her shoes. "Thanks though."

"So, what happened?"

"I just broke up with Uta." She said staring at her shoelaces.

"Ah… And that's bad… how?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"'Cause I really loved him and because he was cheating on me with my ex-bestfriend for months… Yuka and I were bestfriends forever and then he came along and fucked everything up." Nao replied her eyes turning to a glare.

"Holy shit, that sucks."

"Yeah… he's cheated on me many times before that too."

"… Why did you stay with him through all that?" Ryusuke asked leaning on the doorway.

"I don't really know. I guess just because I didn't think anyone else would like me." She replied with a shrug. Ryusuke chuckled ever so slightly. "What?"

"Its just sort of ironic."

"How so?" Nao asked looking at him with her head cocked to the side. He paused and turned back to the kitchen with a shrug. Nao smiled with a raised eyebrow. "What?"

"It's nothing… you sure you're not hungry?" He asked.

"Yeah, can you just grab me a beer?"

"Okay." He replied and came out of the kitchen holding a cup of ramen and two beers. He sat down and handed one to Nao.

"Thanks." She said letting out a sigh as she took the bottle from him.

"No problem." He replied twisting the cap off his beer. Nao stared at her bottle for a while in silence and then took a swig. She felt tears starting to well in her eyes as she thought about the situation.

She forced a smile and chuckled as she wiped her eyes. "Man, I feel like total shit."

"I've been through some pretty crappy break ups… I know the feeling." He said frowning.

"Yeah… I was with Uta for so long and I put up with so much crap from him… now I just sort of feel-" Nao was interrupted by her cellphone ringing. "Sorry." She apologized to Ryusuke as she grabbed her cell phone.

"No problem." He replied taking a swig of beer.

Nao gave him a small smile and pressed 'talk' on her phone. "Hel-" Nao was cut off by Uta's angry voice.

"What the fuck was that?!"

"What was what?" Nao asked cluelessly.

"Your crazy sister and that ass fuck Eiji fucking beat me up!" He roared into the phone.

Nao paused for a moment, trying to figure out how the best way to handle the situation was. "I didn't have anything to do with that."

"Sure you didn't because you're a fucking angel right? That's bullshit! You're such a stupid bitch! I'll get you for this!" He screamed into speaker and hung up the phone. She shook her head angrily and hung up the phone.

"Who was that?" Ryusuke asked glancing over.

"It was Uta, apparently Haru and Eiji beat him up." She replied dialing her sister's number.

"Oh really?" Ryusuke asked rather amused.

"Yeah…" Nao replied with a nod and a sigh.

"Moshimoshi." Haru's tired voice said over the phone.

"Haru, you actually beat Uta up?"

"…I didn't exactly beat him up… Eiji did that because he slammed me against a wall." Haru said a bit sheepishly.

"Uta slammed you against a wall?" Nao asked feeling more angry at Uta.

"Yeah but it was because I slapped him… don't do anything you'll regret… Eiji already got our revenge on him."

"I won't… you do realize how dangerous that was, right? The doctor already told you that you're supposed to be very careful at this stage… what if he had hit your stomach or if you had fallen?"

"I know, I know… I feel awful about it. I just got so angry when you told me that he actually did something like that."

"Yeah but there's no point in risking everything… there's really no telling what he can do when he gets angry." Nao pointed out.

"I'm really sorry… it's just, you're my little sister and it's my job to protect you."

"No, Haru, it's not. Your job is to protect yourself and that little baby. I'll really be okay on my own. I know it's hard to let go but please just… just be careful, okay?"

"Okay… I'm sorry." Haru said sounding a bit like she was going to cry.

"Haru, it's fine, I just want you to be safe."

"I know…"

In the next few hours, Ryusuke and Nao had gotten drunk and had ended up falling asleep. Nao was then awoken by her cell phone ringing. She drowsily opened her eyes and groped around for it and pressed 'talk' when she finally located it.

"Hello?"

"Naoko, do you know what time it is?" Kameko's voice asked.

"Uhhh… Oh crap! It's midnight! Mom, I am SO sorry! I know I'm grounded but this whole thing happened with Uta and I fell asleep at Ryusuke's and I'm so sorry!" Nao said very quickly.

"You fell asleep at Ryusuke's?" She asked sounding very surprised.

"We didn't do anything, I was just really tired and I wanted to talk to Ryusuke for a bit."

"Okay, well, your father is furious, so I'll try to calm him down but you have to get home."

"I will, I am SO sorry." Nao said apologetically.

"Okay… be careful, it's very late… see you in a bit." Kameko said sounding a bit disappointed in her daughter. Nao hung up the phone and quickly scribbled a note out to Ryusuke, put on her shoes, and left. She ran home as fast as she could, ignoring the slight headache she had from being drunk earlier. When she finally got to the door she was about to open it when it flew open.

"NAO! Where the hell have you been?!" Her father boomed at her. "You were NOT supposed to leave this house until I said that you could!"

"I was at Ryusuke's and I know." Nao replied meekly.

"I told you to stop hanging around him!"

"No you didn't."

"Are you contradicting me?!" He thundered.

"I'm sorry… it was special circumstances." Nao said looking at her feet.

"And what were those?" He asked fuming.

"…I broke up with Uta." Nao said quietly preparing herself for more yelling.

"YOU DID WHAT?! Why the hell would you do that?! He's just the kind of young man every father would want their daughter to date!" He then pulled her inside and slammed the door. "Why did you do something stupid?!"

"What? You mean breaking up with Uta?" Nao asked starting to get angry.

"Yes, that is what I mean!"

"It wasn't stupid, it was the right thing to do… any father would want their daughter to be happy! Not in a miserable, suffocating relationship!"

"And you're talking about Utamura? You're out of your mind! I've known his family for years!"

"I DON'T CARE! You don't get how fucked in the head he is!" Nao retaliated, now yelling as loud as he was.

"Why the hell did you do it?! Give me one good reason!"

"Because he cheated on me with several different girls including my ex-bestfriend! He ruined our relationship! Not to mention that he treats me like I'm stupid and makes me feel like I'm ugly and no one could ever love me!" She screamed at him feeling like she was going to cry. He glared at her and let go of her arm. "One hell of a father you are." She said angrily and stormed up the stairs.


	9. Track 009

Nao hadn't been let out of the house for the last month and her dad still couldn't see that she had really been suffering in her relationship with Uta. He was still extremely angry at her despite Kameko's attempts to explain it to him. Nao had been spending most of her time talking on the phone with Ryusuke. She actually felt like she might be developing feelings for him in a romantic sense but she was sure that he didn't like her in that way… or at least she thought he didn't. Ryusuke had also told her about how Togo had to quit the band and then how two guys named Saku and Koyuki joined. Today was Nao's first day of freedom and she was going to a Beck show. She was excited to finally see Ryusuke again, meet Saku and Koyuki, and to hear Beck of course.

"Nao!" She heard her name called. She turned and saw Ryusuke through the crowd.

"Ryusuke! Hii!" She waved enthusiastically and pushed her way over to him.

"Hey, nice to see you out and about."

She laughed and nodded. "Yeah, I'm so excited to see everyone."

"Well come on then." He said turning around, gesturing her to follow him. She followed him to the back of the venu and into the room where everyone was.

"NAO! HEY!" Chiba yelled enthusiastically as he saw her. "What's up?!"

"The sky, the ceiling, normal stuff." She replied with a smile as he laughed.

"Hey, have you met Saku and Koyuki?" Chiba asked gesturing at them.

"Nope." She said with a smile and a wave towards them.

"Hi, I'm Koyuki and this is Saku."

"Howdy, I'm Nao." She introduced herself.

"Yeah, I figured." Koyuki said with a smile.

"Cool." She returned the smile

"Yo! Ray, I found a bracelet thing on the floor, pretty cool huh?" Nao turned and saw Maho, Ryusuke's sister walking into the room. "Nao! Hey! It's been forever!"

"I know right?" She said as Maho gave her a hug.

"How's life been?" Maho asked with a grin.

"It's been pretty good, I was grounded for like a month though." Nao replied making a face.

"Yeah, I know, Ryusuke told me." She said glancing over at her brother who was looking at the bracelet Maho found.

"That looks kind of expensive." Ryusuke commented.

"Finders keepers." She said admiring it.

"It's really pretty." Nao said leaning forward to look at it.

"YEAH! Front row seats!" Chiba said laughing. Nao looked back and saw him looking at her butt.

"Hilarious." She said sarcastically as she stood back up.

"Beck, you're on in 10." A stage hand said poking her head in.

"Alright, thanks." Taira said smiling.

"No prob."

"Should we get out of here and catch up?" Maho asked Nao.

"Yeah, sure." She replied. "Later guys, nice meeting you two."

"Right back at 'cha." Saku said with a wave goodbye.

Nao and Maho walked over to the bar/restaurant part of the place and sat down at a table. They talked a bit and then went back to the stage area when they heard Beck was up.

"Man, I can't wait." Nao said excitedly as they waited for the music to start.

"Same here." Maho said following Nao's gaze to Ryusuke. "Do you have a thing for Ray?"

"What? No!" Nao answered a bit too quickly.

Maho laughed. "Well he sure has a thing for you, he talks about you all the time, he seriously won't shut up about you."

"Really?" She asked very surprised.

"Yeah, Nao said this thing and that and she's so funny. Oh and she told me this and that and blah blah blah." Maho said in a deep voice trying to mimic Ryusuke.

Nao chuckled. "…You really think he likes me?"

"I know he likes you, trust me." Maho said looking back to the stage. "You two'd make a cute couple." A grin appeared on Nao's face as she felt her heart swell. Saku then clicked his drum sticks and they started playing. Nao beamed as she watched Ryusuke playing. He was such an amazing guitarist and he played with such feeling. She sang along still watching Ryusuke dreamily…. She wanted him.

After the show, Nao hung out with everyone for a couple of hours and then glanced at the clock.

"Alright, well I have to go." Nao said with a frown.

"WHAT?!" Chiba yelled pouting.

Nao chuckled. "Yeah, Eiji just went on tour and Haru needs company and she goes to sleep pretty early, so.

"That sucks monkey balls."

"Agreed." She said with a smile.

"I'll walk you to the train station." Ryusuke said.

"You don't have to."

"Nah, it's fine, I think I'm gonna turn in early myself." He said with a shrug.

"Okie dokie then." She smiled and waved at everyone. "Bye guys, catch you later."

"Later." Taira said saluting her.

"Goodbye m'dear!" Chiba said loudly.

"Laters." Nao said laughing and walked out of the club with Ryusuke. "Man, it's so great being out of the house." Nao exclaimed after about a block.

"Yeah, I can imagine." Ryusuke replied. She nodded with a yawn. "So, what do you think of Saku and Koyuki?"

"I think they're really nice." Nao answered.

Ryusuke chuckled. "I mean in a musical sense."

"Ooooh, gotcha." She said with a sheepish grin. "I think they're really good. Koyuki seems to have a long way to go but there's something about him that's really awesome and Saku's totally kick ass… I hate to say it but I think he's actually better than Togo." Ryusuke nodded. "Why do you ask?"

"I was just thinking of officially making them a part of Beck."

"Awesome! I think that'd be a really good idea. There's something really special that happens when you five get together from what I can tell." Nao replied thoughtfully.

Ryusuke smiled. "I was thinking the same thing."

"That's so cool… looks like you've solved the case of the missing drummer." She said chuckling.

"Yeah, well, I still have to bring it up with the band. I have a feeling Taira's not gonna agree with me." He said rubbing the back of his head.

"Why do you think that?" Nao asked as they stopped in front of the train station.

"He doesn't think that it's a good idea to have junior high school kids in the band especially Koyuki, he doesn't think that he's anywhere near ready but I think that if we let him in and give him some time he'll improve more quickly. I think the band will get a lot better with them in it." Ryusuke explained.

"Hmmm… I'm gonna have to agree with you." She said with a smile. "What does Chiba think?"

Ryusuke shrugged. "He doesn't really seem to care either way."

"That seems like him." Nao said glancing back at the subway. "Well, I guess this is goodbye until our next meeting."

"Yeah." Ryusuke smiled. "Night, have a safe trip."

"You too, night." She said and went down the stairs into the station.

"Hey Haru! I'm back." Nao called as she entered Haru's apartment. "Haru?" She asked as she looked through the apartment.

"I'm in here." Haru's voice called from the bathroom.

Nao poked her head in. "What 'cha doing?" She asked seeing Haru leaning against the wall.

"My back's killing me and I think something's in the closet." She said nervously peering out.

Nao frowned and washed her hands. She then went to Haru's night stand and got out some Traumeel and threw it on the bed. Then she grabbed a flashlight and opened the closet door. She throughly searched it and then stood up. "Nothing's here."

"Thanks." Haru said meekly.

"No problem, now let's see about your back." Nao said and put some of the Traumeel on her hand. After rubbing it into Haru's back she rubbed her shoulders and then washed her hands again.

"What would I do without you?" Haru asked smiling.

"Crash and burn." Nao said jokingly. Haru chuckled and made her way into the kitchen, Nao following close behind

"These cravings are unbelievable. All I can think about is strawberries dipped in chocolate, whip cream, ice cream, and sweet potato pie." She said frowning as she opened the refrigerator.

"Hmmm, sounds sexy."

Haru laughed and then pouted. "Eiji always brought me back these nutrition bars that tasted like strawberries and whip cream." She sighed. "I miss him so much already, how am I going to survive the next two weeks?"

"Awwww, don't worry, tomorrow I'll try to find them." Nao said sitting down at the kitchen table.

Haru sat next to her and leaned back putting her hands on her baby bump. Nao let out a sigh as she began thinking of the events of the day. 'I wonder if he really likes me… what if I made a move on him?… Nah, that could potentially make our friendship really awkward. Ugh, I don't know… maybe I could ask Maho to talk to him- nah.' She spaced out at the wall thinking over her options. Haru looked at Nao's face seeing the wheels turning in her head. "What's going on in there?" She asked gently poking Nao's head bringing her from her day dream.

"Oh uh, nothing." Nao replied. Haru raised an eyebrow to tell Nao that she knew that was bull. Nao chuckled. "Well… when I went to the Beck show, I was hanging out with Maho, you know, Ryusuke's sister and she said that Ryusuke likes me."

Haru didn't look all too pleased. "Do you like him?"

"I don't know… maybe." She answered a bit quietly looking up at her sister who looked a bit saddened by this. "He's a really nice guy despite what Eiji says."

"Yeah… but you can understand my concerns, right? Eiji's usually a pretty good judge of character and he's known Ryusuke longer then you have, so… I just don't want this to turn into another Utamura-like relationship." Haru said with a frown.

"We're not even in a relationship. From what I can tell, he usually goes for really hot, tall, slim girls, not some girl who wears baggy tees all the time, has a few extra pounds, is short, and isn't a 'party girl' or whatever." Nao said trying to make it seem she was joking around but Haru could always see through her.

"You're perfect the way you are and I think a guy would have to be crazy not to fall for you, you should be beating them off with a stick at this point."

Nao laughed. "Suuure, that's always been my problem, having too many choices." She said sarcastically.

Haru's frown grew and she sighed. "I just don't want you to get hurt again."

"….I know… I don't want to be mean or anything but I really do feel like I can take care of myself and I do appreciate you caring about me, you don't know how much it means to me but I think I'm a pretty good judge of character too and I think he's a nice guy but he'll never love me or anything like that… you really don't have anything to worry about."

Haru sighed again. "Whatever you say."

A few days later Nao was approaching Ryusuke's house as she let out a small yawn. Then a girl with a rather raunchy top and jeans came out of Ryusuke's house and started towards her. The girl looked Nao up and down with a smug look on her face. She snickered and walked past Nao with her head held high. Nao looked back at her shaking her head. She rolled her eyes and continued to the door of Ryusuke's house. Nao knocked and called through the door. "Hey Ryusuke, you there?"

"Yeah, come on in." He called back. Nao opened the door and stepped inside seeing Ryusuke shirtless, zipping up his jeans.

"So um, who was that girl who just came out?"

"Uh, I just met her at a bar." He replied putting on a shirt and turning around. "What's wrong."

"It's nothing, really." She answered feeling a bit hurt. 'I knew he didn't like me…'


	10. Track 010

"Knock, knock!" Nao called standing outside of Ryusuke's house.

"Who's there?" Chiba's voice called back.

Nao laughed. "Yule."

"Yule who?"

"Yule never know unless you open the door." She said grinning as Chiba burst out laughing.

"Is there anything you don't think is funny?" Ryusuke asked as Nao came in.

"Yeah, you." He said with a straight face but eventually started laughing again.

Nao shook her head and sat down to take off her shoes. "Well it's official, I'm exhausted."

"Why's that?" Ryusuke asked glancing at her from the TV.

"I've just had to take care of Haru a lot, she's 6 months along so the doctors say she can't do much and that's where I come in." She explained as she finished taking of her shoes and lay back on Ryusuke's bed.

"That sucks." Chiba said frowning.

"Believe me, I know but the good news is that she's getting closer to having a cute little bundle of joy." She said chuckling.

"Well, if you need any help you can call, I don't really have much to do." Ryusuke offered with a shrug.

"Aw thanks." Nao smiled up at him and then yawned.

"I would but I think I scare her." Chiba said with a grimace.

She laughed. "Don't worry, I've been telling her about how awesome you are so now she's just a bit freaked out rather than scared." He grinned and put his thumbs up. Nao did the same and they both laughed. "Oh, I meant to ask you, have you guys decided about Saku and Koyuki yet?"

"Not really, Taira says they have to prove that they're good enough." Ryusuke replied making a face.

"Yeah, I don't see what the big deal is, we need a drummer anyway." Chiba added.

"I guess Taira just wants everything to be on par with you three."

"AWWWW!" Chiba said with a huge smile. Nao laughed and looked up at the TV. They sat there watching and made a bit of small talk for a while and then Chiba stretched and stood up.

"Alright well I have to go, I got a date." He announced beaming as he looked down at Nao and Ryusuke.

"Ooo la la, really?" Nao asked smiling. "What's her name?"

"Sanako." He answered dreamily.

"How long have you been seeing this Sanako of yours?" She asked curiously.

"Like a month… she's fuckin' awesome." He grinned and then started putting on his shoes.

"I want a full report next time I see you." Nao said pointing at him.

Chiba stood up straight and saluted her. "Yes ma'am!"

Nao laughed. "Awesome, hope you have fun!"

"I'm sure I will." He said mischievously and started for the door.

"Later." Nao and Ryusuke said in unison making Chiba laugh.

"Bye guys." He waved and shut the door behind him. Nao and Ryusuke sat watching TV for another half hour or so until there was nothing else good on to watch.

"So, what do you want to do?" She asked looking over at him.

"Uh, well, Beck needs a walk." He suggested gesturing at the front of the house.

"Okay, sure." She agreed and so they both got up, put on their shoes and headed out the door. Beck strained against his leash as he saw them and barked excitedly.

"Calm down, jeez." Ryusuke said as Beck bounced around. Ryusuke finally managed to untie him and he immediately jumped up on Nao and nuzzled her. "Down!" Ryusuke commanded as Beck practically knocked her over.

Nao laughed. "It's fine, Beck's just a happy doggie, aren't you?" She asked Beck as she knelt down and let him lick her face.

Ryusuke chuckled. "Alright, break it up you two." He said jokingly.

Nao stood up with a smile and started to walk to the sidewalk. Beck happily trotted along next to her and licked her hand. "Awww, he's so cute."

"Yeah, in his own way." Ryusuke agreed with a smile.

"No, in every way." She corrected him with a nod.

He chuckled again and turned left on to the sidewalk. They walked for a while and then decided to turn back. As they were walking Beck stopped and decided to bark at a wall.

"Beck, c'mon, what do you think it's gonna do?" He asked looking down at him.

Nao smiled. "I love you how talk to him like he's a person."

"Yeah, well he's my buddy." He replied finally getting Beck away from the wall he was trying to intimidate. "Ain't that right?"

Beck barked and wagged his tail as response making Ryusuke smile.

"Awww." Nao reached down and pet Beck on his head. He licked her hand and continued walking.

"Remember the BECK show that you guys did when I finally got released from my grounding?" Nao asked after they walked about a block.

"Yeah, what about it?" Ryusuke asked.

"Well, I was just thinking about something Maho said… she said that you liked me or whatever. I dunno… I guess I'm just curious now." Nao answered with a shrug.

"Yeah, I guess I do." He said casually making it seem that he only liked her as a friend.

"Cool." She said with a nod a bit disappointed but she hid it well. When they got back Nao made them both some Ramen and they ate. Then Nao left and started back home. She let out a sigh as she walked thinking of how she sucked at attracting the opposite sex, she didn't even really know how to attract anyone. The only reason Uta ever dated her was because he wanted to piss off Yuka. She sighed again as she stopped at a light. 'Man… maybe breaking up with Uta was a bad idea.'

Nao glared at the television screen as she attempted to shoot out one of the virtual windows. She finally managed to and in a few minutes she'd beaten the level.

"Phew, finally." She said quietly. She continued playing for a few minutes until Ryusuke spoke up.

"So, do you want to go out sometime?"

"Uh, okay." She said very surprised as she looked back at him. "When do you want to go out?"

"Today or tomorrow, whenever you're free." He replied glancing up at her from his book.

"My mom's at Haru's and my dad's away on business sooo… how about today?" She asked trying to figure out if he was really into her or not.

"Okay, sure. Where would you like to go?"

"Uh… where ever they have Okonomiyaki." She said smiling.

He chuckled. "Alright, I know a good place like 5 blocks away, we should probably leave in like a half hour."

"Totally." She agreed with a nod.

The date started well with great conversations, food, and a few shots. By the end of it there were about 20 shot glasses on the table and both of them were laughing at stupid things and slurring their words. They paid for the food and slowly made their way back to Ryusuke's.

"I feel like I haven't been here in forever!" Nao said with a grin as she walked into Ryusuke's house, swaying slightly.

"Awesome." Ryusuke said with a chuckle.

Nao bent down to take off her shoes and almost fell over but Ryusuke caught her. "Maybe you should sit down."

"Good idea." Nao said with a smile. She plopped on to Ryusuke's bed and took off her shoes. Ryusuke sat next to her and did the same.

"Today, tonight was really nice." Nao said with a smile as she lay her head on his shoulder. He nodded and kissed her forehead. She grinned up at him and gave him a quick peck on the lips. He smiled and kissed her back. She climbed onto his lap and bit her lower lip with a smile as she ran her fingers through his hair. He held her close to him and kissed her neck. He then slowly reached up her shirt and undid her bra strap. She pulled up on his shirt and took it off of him. Then she took her bra off, leaving her shirt on. She put her bra on Ryusuke's head and laughed. He shook his head with a smile and it fell off. He then slowly took off her shirt and held her close to him as he kissed and sucked on her breasts.

"Mmm." She released a sound of pleasure as she put her head back slightly. He then unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans. She did the same to him and then pulled off her own pants as well as his. Ryusuke then began to rub her womanhood through her underwear. She let out a moan as she kissed his neck. She then let her hand wander to his boxers. He let her take them off and then took off her panties. He lay her out on his futon and grazed her clit with his tongue. She shuddered and gently grasped the sheets on his bed. She moaned as his tongue flicked back and forth across womanhood. He continued sucking and licking her most sensitive area until she found her release. As she was catching her breath he grabbed a condom and then put it on. He opened her legs wider and guided himself into her. She let out another moan as he began to go a bit faster. He watched as her breasts gently bounced with each thrust. She pulled him against her as he went faster and harder into her. He listened to her breath becoming uneven as they both became closer to climax. There moans became more frequent as the minutes went on. He then pushed himself back up slightly to gain more speed. Nao grabbed onto his arms and looked into his eyes, seeing pleasure. Her nails dug into his arm and she leaned forward slightly as she climaxed. She lay back gasping as he continued pounding her. He soon came and lay next to her. He caught his breath for a few moments and then threw out the condom.

Nao looked over at him and smiled as she caught his gaze. "Wow."

He chuckled. "You surprised?"

"Not exactly." She said, still trying to catch her breath. "You went beyond my expectations though."

"I've had a lotta practice." He said with a smile and half open eyes.

Nao laughed and lay with her top half slightly on his chest. He put his arm around her and gave her a kiss. She smiled as it broke and snuggled into him.

Nao's eyes opened as she felt her head throbbing a bit. She sat up looking around and remembered what had happened the night before. 'Holy shit… I actually slept with Ryusuke!' She thought to herself containing a squeal of excitement and then rubbed her head. "Ow." She whispered to herself. She sat there for a while watching Ryusuke sleep and started to feel a bit embarrassed. She then decided to go so she got her clothes back on and left.


	11. Track 011

"Hello?" Nao answered her phone.

"Hey, it's Ryusuke."

"Oh." She replied sitting on her bed.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine just uh… I dunno, the other night… was it just drunken fun or…?" She asked putting a hand on her neck.

"I'd like to think it was a little more than drunken fun." He replied.

"Really?" She asked feeling a bit relieved. "Cool."

"Yeah, well, I was just wondering if you wanted to go out again."

"Oh yeah, sure, that'd be great." She said smiling. "Later today?"

"Sure, what time?"

"Uh, around 21:00? I have a lot to do today, so yeah." She suggested.

"Okay, cool, I'll come by your house?" He asked.

"Yeah, see ya then." She said excitedly.

"Later."

Nao hung up her phone and smiled to herself.

She spent the rest of the day doing chores and helping her mom cook some food for a party she was going to later on. Then finally 20:30 rolled around and she got herself ready and put on a dress that was red with black polka-dots. She then curled her hair and put on some red lipstick. She then went downstairs and put on some shoes and sat by the door waiting for the door to ring. When it finally did she bolted up and opened the door.

"HI!" She said, not able to hide her excitement.

Ryusuke smile. "Hey, you clean up nicely."

"Heh, thanks, I try." She replied with a grin.

"Bye sweetheart." Her mom called as Nao stepped out of the door.

"Bye mom!" Nao waved and then closed the door. "So! Where are we going?"

"To this place called Cove, well if you want to, that's what I had in mind." Ryusuke replied with a shrug.

"Sounds fine to me, I love their pasta!" She said with a smile.

"Alright, it's a plan then." He said and they started to the restaurant.

They walked for a few blocks talking about random things like work and how Beck was going. Then Ryusuke looked up and noticed his sister walking hand in hand with Koyuki.

"Yo! Maho!" Ryusuke called.

"Ray! What's up?" She asked as she jogged over to him.

"Nothing much, how's your date with Casanova over there going?" Ryusuke asked gesturing at Koyuki who was walking over drinking a soda.

"Shut up." She said making a face. "How's your date goin'?"

"Good even though we haven't actually gotten to the restaurant yet." He replied chuckling.

"Cool."

"Hey Ryusuke." Koyuki said as he stopped in front of them. "Hi Nao."

"Hellooo, where are you two headed?" She asked.

"Koyuki's place." Maho replied with a yawn. "In fact we should probably get a move on.

"Alright well if you do her Koyuki, don't forget to we-"

Maho cut him off. "RAY!"

He laughed. "What?"

"I swear, if you say 'wear a condom' I'm going to kill you."

"I wasn't gonna say that." He replied.

"Really? Then what were you going to say?" She asked with her arms crossed.

"Wear protection." He said with a laugh and held up his arms as she smacked him upside the head. Koyuki looked down at his shoes with a slight blush.

"You're such a bitch." She said turning to go. "Later Nao."

"Later." Nao replied with a chuckle as she put up her hand to say bye. "You two have a total love/hate relationship, don't you?"

"You have no idea." He replied with a smile.

They continued on their way and reached the restaurant after about a half hour of walking.

"Damn… they added like three new pasta dishes." Nao said with a frown. "I don't know which to get!"

Ryusuke chuckled. "I vote for the pasta salad, I had it the other day with Taira, it was really good."

"Ooo, really? What's in it?" She asked looking up at him from her menu.

"Uh, like onion, red pepper, tomatoes, obviously pasta, olives, and some really good sauce." He responded.

"Oh that sounds really good, I'll have that." She said with a grin and rubbed her hands together.

He chuckled again. "Wanna get a large order and split it?"

"Sure!"

They talked a bit and then started eating when their food arrived.

"So, how's everything with your family these days?" Ryusuke asked after a few minutes.

Nao sighed. "Same old, same old… I mean… it's just like hard to talk to any of them about anything, since my mom tells my dad everything and Haru's going through so much these days, I just don't want to add to her stress."

Ryusuke raised an eyebrow as Nao was about to continue, but stopped herself. "What is it?"

"Well…" She chuckled sheepishly. "Also Haru doesn't really like you very much thanks to Eiji, so I can't even talk to her about what fun I'm having with you."

Ryusuke chuckled. "It's okay, a lot of people hate me, I guess I'm just that type of person."

"Well I don't hate you." Nao said with a sweet smile.

"I had my suspicions." He replied with a slight smirk.

Nao grinned and took a bite of her pasta. "So how's everything with your family? You've never really talked about them, well except for Maho of course." Ryusuke's expression soured and Nao's grin faded. "Sorry, you don't have to answer that."

"Nah, it's okay, I'm just not really on speaking terms with my parents."

"Yikes, that bad, huh?" She said with wide eyes.

"Yup, that bad." He said with a half-hearted smile. "Really it's just because my mom was cheating on my dad and then got pregnant with Maho from this other dude and then left my dad and then my step-dad excepted me to just accept him as my dad and follow his rules to a tee, and when I didn't, he kicked me out." He explained. "And of course my mom never stood up for me and just did what that douche bag told her to do."

"Oh my god, and I thought my family was bad." Nao said after she swallowed her mouthful of pasta. "Just… wow."

Ryusuke sighed. "Yeah, well, i probably didn't help the situation. I wasn't exactly a law abiding citizen when I was younger."

"Yeah, but still, your parents are supposed to love you no matter what, it can't be easy." She said with a frown. Ryusuke nodded and shrugged. "Well I'm sorry about that."

"Eh, it's okay. It's been like a year since I've spoken to either of them." He shrugged again.

Nao let out a sigh. "Well, do you wanna drown our sorrows?"

"Sure." He said with a chuckle. "I'm always down for that.

After about three hours Nao stumbled through the front door to her house.

"Hello." Her father said from the couch and looked over at her, seeing her bracing herself on the wall. "…What is it?"

"I'm just not feeling well." Nao replied with a slight slur. "I think I got food poisoned or poisoning, whatever it's called."

"…You went out drinking with Ryusuke again, didn't you?" He said dangerously quiet.

"N-no… we went for the food, not the drinks." She said trying to speak as clearly as possible.

"Come here." He demanded. Nao walked over slowly and stood in front of him.

"I can smell the alcohol on your breath from here!" He practically yelled as he stood up. "Unbelievable! What is wrong with you?!"

"Dad, I'm not feeling good." Nao said with half open eyes.

"This is ridiculous!" He yelled with fury in his eyes. "You're so irresponsible! This is not how I raised you!"

"I need to lie down." Nao stated as she started for the stairs.

Atsushi followed her as he continued to lecture her and yell about how he never thought his daughters would turn out this way. Nao lay in her bed as her dad stood by the doorway and continued on his rant for about a half hour and then slammed the door to Nao's room and she finally fell asleep.

Ryusuke was awoken by a pounding on his front door. He yawned and glanced over at the clock. "_Fuck._" He said to the empty room seeing it was 4:30 in the morning. "I'm up, I'm up!" He yelled getting up from his bed as the person pounded on the door again. He walked over to the door promising himself that if it was Chiba he would clobber him. When he reached the door he looked out and raised an eyebrow. He unlocked the door squinting as the front light hit his eyes. "We're not open until 8." He grunted sleepily.

"Are you Minami Ryusuke?" The middle-aged man asked looking very pissed off.

"It depends on who's askin'." He replied titling his head slightly to the left.

"Yamakawa Atsushi, ring a bell?"

"Uh… Nao's dad?" He asked a bit hesitantly.

"Yeah… what the hell did you do to her?" Atsushi asked glaring at him.

"Whaddya mean?" Ryusuke questioned.

"She was a sweet, good, nice girl until you showed up. Now she's drinking and she has a bad attitude, you fucked up her head." He said jabbing Ryusuke in the chest with his finger. "Say something you fucker!" Atsushi yelled when Ryusuke didn't answer.

Ryusuke shrugged. "I don't know what you want me to say."

Atsushi moved closer to Ryusuke. "I want you to say you'll stay away from my daughter or I'll come back here and this story will end in tears." He said in a extremely stern, angry voice.

"Whatever you say." Ryusuke replied cooly staring him right in the eyes.

"Don't make a deal with me and break it boy." He said dangerously.

"I'm not your boy." Ryusuke said stoically. With that Atsushi turned and walked away. 'Man, Nao's dad is fucked up.' Ryusuke thought as he closed the door shaking his head.

That morning Nao's cell phone woke her up. "Hello?" She asked groggily.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" Ryusuke's voice asked.

"Yeah but it's okay." She replied perking up a bit. "What's up?"

"Nothing much, your dad just came to my house earlier today and threatened me saying that I should stay away from you." He said with a chuckle.

"Are you serious?!" She asked incredulously.

"Mm-hm."

"I don't fucking believe it… I'll get this sorted out, call you back." She said hanging up. She then went through the memory looking for her dad's number. She pressed talk after locating it and waited for him to pick up.

"Yamakawa Atsushi, how can I help you?" Her dad's voice asked.

"Hey dad, did you actually go to Ryusuke's house this morning?"

"Naoko! You should know better than to call me here." He snapped at her.

"It's none of your business who I date or talk to or anything, you've never been involved in my life in a good way and now you're not helping anything you're making it worse. Just stay out of my life!" She said furiously and hung up the phone before he could answer. A few moments later the phone rang. "Yeah?" She asked assuming it was her dad.

"You have some real nerve! You don't know anything about life!" Atsushi boomed at her.

"Well you don't know anything about MY life. You've never been there for me, EVER and now you're messing everything up with the first guy I ever-" She stopped herself.

"The first guy you ever what?" He asked dangerously.

"Look, I just really really like him and he's actually nice to me, he's the first guy who's been nice to me in a romantic sense and I'm not letting you take that away."

"You don't know what teenage boys think, they just want to get into your pants." He said angrily.

"You know what?! Mom is perfectly capable of helping me with my problems and she knows me a hell of a lot better than you do so butt out!"


	12. Track 012

The next week had been extremely tense between Nao and her father, she had actually been talking to Haru about moving in with her and Eiji and manning the couch. Anything was better than being at home at this point.

This particular day had been especially tough for Nao, her and Atsushi had gotten into a huge fight before he left for work about Nao not doing the dishes and ended in Atsushi saying that Nao was worse than Haru getting pregnant. So, Nao left before her dad came home and started on the 7 block walk to Ryusuke's. She hung her head feeling like crap and just wanted to talk to Ryusuke about everything. She mumbled to herself about random things and then noticed someone staring at her. She smiled sheepishly and then looked back at the ground feeling embarrassed. As she neared Ryusuke's house she saw the lights off so when she approached the door she peered in as she raised her fist to knock. She stopped dead in her tracks seeing a pile of clothes by the bed. Her mouth dropped open slightly as she saw the shadowy outlines of Ryusuke and a girl underneath him. She turned around feeling the sting of tears welling up in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Haru asked the moment Nao opened the door.

"It's nothing." Nao mumbled locking the door behind her.

"No it's not." She replied. "What happened?"

"You have to promise you won't get mad." Nao said after a sigh as she took off her shoes.

"I promise, now what is it?"

"I saw Ryusuke having sex with some girl…" Nao answered feeling a tear fall from her eye.

"What?!" Haru asked surprisingly louder than usual.

"What?" Eiji inquired as he walked out of the bedroom.

"Just… Ryusuke cheated on me." Nao explained feeling the sting of tears in her eyes.

"I told you that would happen." Eiji said after a pause.

Haru gave Eiji a look and then looked to her sister and tried to see her face which was hidden behind her hair. Nao then looked to Eiji with tears rolling down her face. He looked at her with surprise.

"Rub it in why don't you?" Nao said shakily, with anger in her voice. She then stood up and grabbed her things as she went to the door.

"Wait! Nao!" Haru said standing up as Nao opened the door.

"I can't fucking deal with this!" Nao yelled back and slammed the door behind her.

"What the hell?" Eiji said with a raised eyebrow. "What's her problem?"

"Her problem?" Haru repeated incredulously. Not many things ever angered Haru, but someone hurting her little sister was definitely one of them.

Nao sat on a park bench, with her head in her hands, tears silently falling from her eyes. She couldn't believe that this had happened to her again. She just felt so inadequate. Maybe Uta was right about her all along. She then heard Haru's ringtone and hesitantly picked it up.

"Hello?" Nao asked glumly.

"Hey Nao… I'm so sorry about what Eiji said." She said with sadness in her voice.

"It's fine." Nao said and then let out a sigh. "I mean why would someone say that?"

"I don't know, but you know how he can be, he doesn't think before he speaks." Haru explained.

"Don't defend him!" Nao snapped at her sister.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't… I wasn't trying to… I'm sorry." Haru said with a bit of a stutter, she always did this when she was anxious.

Nao sighed again. "I'm sorry too, I didn't mean to yell at you."

"It's okay." Haru said quietly. "I understand." It was quiet for a few moments until Haru spoke again. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I unleashed on Eiji after you left."

"Really?… How are you two now?" Nao asked.

"Okay, I think… I hope really. He's locked himself in the bedroom…" She trailed off as she stared at the closed door. "He needs to cool down a bit then hopefully it'll be okay."

"…I'm sorry I got you two into a fight." Nao said with a frown.

"You don't need to apologize… it was really a bad time for him to say that, and no one hurts my baby sister." Haru said endearingly, making a small smile appear on Nao's face.

"So… what am I going to do about Ryusuke?" Nao asked as she ran her fingers through her hair.

"…Dump him?" Haru suggested hesitantly.

"I think I'm going to talk to him first and see what he says." Nao said after a moment of silence.

"…Are you sure that's wise?" Haru asked.

"Well, I don't know what else to do. I can't just never talk to him again." Nao explained.

"Okay, well… you can call me whenever you need me."

"Thanks."

Nao had then called Ryusuke and told him she needed to talk to him. He said she could come over and so she started on the walk to his house. When she got there she stood in front of the door for what seemed like an eternity, trying to get herself to knock. She finally did so and Ryusuke called from the back of the house. "It's open!"

Nao opened the door and looked to the bed, feeling a knot in her throat. Ryusuke then came out of the kitchen and looked at her with his head cocked to the side. "What is it?" He asked.

Nao cleared her throat. "Um… just I uh, I saw you earlier."

"Okay." He replied with a raised eyebrow.

"I mean I saw you with her… that girl today." Nao clarified, feeling her stomach drop.

"Oh." He replied a bit too casually.

"Oh? That's it?" She asked getting a bit angry.

"What? It's not that big of a deal."

"Are you fucking with me? You cheated on me!" She said, her voice raising in volume.

"Sorry, I didn't know you thought we were serious." He responded with a shrug.

Eyes welled up in Nao's eyes as her lower lip began to tremble. "You said that it was more than drunken fun when we had sex, what was I supposed to think?"

He shrugged again. "I honestly didn't think about it… it's really not a big deal, she's just some girl I met at a bar, it's not like I'm dating her too."

Nao stared at him incredulously. "It doesn't matter whether or not you're dating her! You can't just fuck anything that walks!"

"I said I was sorry." He said after a few moments of quiet.

"Fuck your apology!" Nao said with a glare as a tear rolled down her face. She then turned and began to leave.

"I'm sorry!" He said again but louder this time.

She shook her head and stormed out of the house.

After a few days, Nao had decided to end her relationship with Ryusuke. He barely put up a fight, which made Nao feel even worse. She still went to BECK shows, but barely spoke to Ryusuke. They both acted like nothing had ever happened between them and kind of kept their distance from each other.

At the moment it was after a BECK show and Nao was talking to Taira at the bar.

"So then he just started screaming at me about how when I was a little kid, he knew that I was going to be difficult, but he never thought I'd turn out this bad, so I said, "fine, I'll get out of your hair then" and I went to stay with Eiji and Haru, and haven't spoken to him since." Nao explained with a bit of a sigh.

"Damn, that really sucks." Taira said with wide eyes.

"Yeah, but I was staying at Haru's house almost all day anyway, so it's really not that huge of a change, now I just don't have to deal with my dad on top of everything else. I mean, when I come home drunk Haru still scolds me, but it's nothing like my dad." Nao said with a shrug.

"Well it sounds like staying at Haru's place is a better option. I mean, sometimes parents mean well, but just totally don't know how to communicate." Taira said nodding.

Nao sighed again. "Yeah, but how's everything with you?"

"Things are good, I really can't complain." He replied with a chuckle.

Nao smiled. "Well that's good."

"Yeah." Taira smiled back.

It was quiet for a while until Nao spoke up again.

"So uh, how's Ryusuke?"

"Um, he seems okay, a bit more pissy than usual though, if I didn't know any better, I'd say he misses you." He replied with a small chuckle.

Nao scoffed. "I doubt it…"

Taira shrugged. "You know, I really don't think he meant to hurt you."

"You mean he didn't think he'd get caught, right?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, maybe that, but I really think he's so used to not having a steady girlfriend, that he didn't think it through. I mean, I'm totally not defending him, but that's just what I think."

"Yeah… I don't know… I don't think he ever really liked me that much, I was just another girl for him to sleep with…" Nao said a bit glumly.

"I can't speak for him." Taira said with a sigh. "Either way, the situation must really suck for you."

Nao chuckled. "You can say that again."


End file.
